Titans' Cam Ward Can Bounce Back

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward is one game into his NFL career, but it wasn't the prettiest debut from a rookie signal-caller.

Ward went 12 of 28 for 112 yards while taking six sacks in the team's 20-12 loss in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos. While those numbers are subpar at best, ESPN analyst Ben Solak thinks Ward has the chance to improve.

"Overall, I remain bullish on Ward's NFL future. At Miami, Ward was an instinctive passer. He remains so in the NFL, where he is throwing with anticipation. And an understanding of how coverages will develop. He made multiple plays against pressure in this game that demonstrated preposterous poise for a veteran, let alone a rookie," Solak wrote.

"He is almost too chill at times. He was sacked — very nearly for a safety — because he snapped the ball on a diminishing play clock without alerting his offensive line of the urgency. Right tackle JC Latham was late out of his stance, and while that's more on Latham, Ward is the leader of the offense and will learn to account for those things.

"The high-difficulty throws were abundant Sunday, and the easy arm talent was apparent. The Titans are a young team with plenty of issues to rectify, including pre-snap alignment confusions and blown assignments in the running game. As that improves over the course of the season, the team will catch up to Ward's talent and look more put together in the passing game."

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cameron Ward on the field during warm ups before the game against the Atlanta Falcons. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Ward and the Titans are just one game into their marriage, so things don't have to be perfect right away. Instead, there needs to be some gradual improvement game-over-game.

With just one game down, it's difficult to detect if any progress will be made, but that's what Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams could tell us. It's another game against a playoff-caliber opponent with a defense that didn't allow a touchdown in Week 1 against the Houston Texans.

If Ward and the offense can play better than they did against the Broncos, it will be a positive sign of what's to come.

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