The Tennessee Titans didn’t play any games or overthink the decision when they were on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday.
The Titans —who have been searching for a franchise QB for years — selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, betting on him as their franchise signal caller for years to come.
Last season, Brian Callahan took over as head coach and turned to Will Levis as the team’s starting passer.
But Levis was wildly inconsistent throughout the year and the Titans finished the 2024 regular season with just a (3-14) record.
Now, the Titans are getting Ward, who finished last year with 4,313 passing yards, 39 touchdowns, 7 INTs and a 67.2% completion rate with the Miami Hurricanes.
Ward set the Miami single-season records for passing yards and touchdowns and earned a bevy of awards like ACC Player of the Year, the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award, and was a First-Team All-American. He was also a Heisman Trophy finalist where he finished fourth in voting.
Callahan will hope he can find the kind of success with Ward and the Tennessee Titans that he did with Joe Burrow with the Bengals. Ward is constantly praised for his strong arm, poise under pressure and ability to make plays both in and out of the pocket.
The Titans already have some nice pieces on offense they can put around Ward, with WR Calvin Ridley, RB Tony Pollard and the recent signing of veteran pass catcher Tyler Lockett.
When Ward took the podium for his introductory press conference on Friday, he received the ultimate surprise.
Warren Moon — who wore No. 1 as the QB for the Oilers before they changed their name to the Titans — surprised Ward during his opening presser to give him an official Titans No. 1 jersey, allowing him to wear his college number. Nobody has worn No. 1 for the Titans since Moon hung up his cleats.