Titans' Cam Ward is No Stranger to Shedeur Sanders

Come December 7, throw records out the window. Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward is set to do battle with Cleveland Browns' QB Shedeur Sanders in a battle of two of the top rookies in the 2025 draft class.

On defense, Jeffery Simmons and Myles Garrett will be looking to make nothing easy for either of these players. Even though these two teams have a combined four wins, it's still one of the most intriguing, and highly anticipated games heading into Week 14.

Extensive History Between Ward and Sanders

Cam Ward on whether or not he and Shedeur Sanders have a shared struggle entering the NFL. pic.twitter.com/uCxNx45QJS
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) December 3, 2025

While it's impossible to compare the stories of Ward and Sanders, the one thing they had in common was their quarterback coach. Darrell Colbert Jr. coached both men at the collegiate level, and without him, who knows where either would be today.

Ward first faced off against Sanders in a 2023 game that didn't go Sanders way. Ward's Washington State dominated Colorado, 56-14, in a game that went exactly how Ward envisioned it.

Leading up to the game, Ward decided it would be best not to speak to Sanders. Colbert thought he was joking, but the No. 1 overall pick didn't say a word to Sanders leading up to that game. Recently, ESPN's Turron Davenport asked Ward keeps in touch with Sanders. Ward made it clear the two are on good terms, but haven't spoken during their first NFL season.

No Bad Blood Between Ward and Sanders

Cam Ward on being on the same field as Shedeur Sanders pic.twitter.com/SKDzfmYINJ
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) December 3, 2025

For what it's worth, Sanders had to leave the Buffaloes 42 point loss early due to injury. Now, the two are set to face off again, this time in the NFL.

"Really, everything happens for a reason," Ward said. "God has a plan for me. He has a plan for [Shedeur]. At the end of the day, you just got to continue to prove yourself right. Every time he steps on the field, I know he's going to prove himself right."

"The same goes for me. So we just got to continue to stay in the everyday mindset of getting better, and not letting bad outcomes dictate the next day."

Ward was recently the subject of a Tubi documentary that focused on his path from a zero-star recruit to the No. 1 overall draft pick. If the Titans come up short, there will be plenty of discussion as to why the team made a mistake by not drafting Sanders. Ultimately, the former Colorado QB fell to the Browns in the fifth round, but he worked his way up from QB4 to QB1 in no time.

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