NFL preseason takeaways: Titans’ Cameron Ward dazzles with arm energy, reveals upside in conflict in opposition to Falcons

No. 1 total choose Cameron Ward suited up for his second preseason recreation Friday when the Titans hit the street to face the Falcons, and whereas it was a combined bag of a person efficiency, the highs outweighed the lows. Ward accomplished simply two of his seven move makes an attempt however displayed large arm energy within the course of, displaying precisely what Tennessee noticed in him when it made him the primary participant chosen within the 2025 NFL Draft.

Ward began the competition and performed three drives, up from the 2 he noticed in final week’s preseason opener. He threw one fewer move and tallied 42 yards to final week’s 67.

“I needed to ship him again on the market,” coach Brian Callahan mentioned of the choice to provide Ward an additional sequence. “The play quantity was nonetheless low. These penalties type of knocked us out of a few of these favorable down and distances, and we did not convert third downs. So we needed to get him another sequence as a result of the play depend was nonetheless comparatively low.”

The pattern dimension continues to be small, and the pains of taking part in a full NFL regular-season recreation nonetheless lie forward for Ward, however the early returns are largely optimistic. Listed below are three takeaways from Ward’s preseason outing in opposition to the Falcons.

Lively along with his ft

The move safety up entrance left one thing to be desired, however Ward made the Falcons’ rushers a non-factor along with his potential to maneuver out of the pocket.

That was obvious from the very begin of his outing when he scooted away from strain on a play-action move, stepped out of the pocket to the fitting facet and delivered a ball on the cash to Elic Ayomanor. The catch and run went for 35 yards, giving Ward his greatest spotlight on his first throw of the night.

Tennessee’s offensive line additionally folded on Ward’s second move play, once more forcing him to work outdoors the hashes. A holding name negated the play, on which Ward launched a deep ball incomplete. The lateral motion was signal from a quarterback who didn’t have to fret an excessive amount of about his pocket safety in faculty as he performed behind a ferocious line at Miami.

“He is proven all of the issues that we have to see from an operation standpoint,” Callahan mentioned. “The holding and a false begin on a third-and-short that put us in a third-and-longer, not ideally suited, however that is actually not on him. These are issues that we have gotta do higher round him.”

The Titans invested closely by way of the final couple of drafts in rebuilding what was at one level arguably the worst offensive line within the NFL, so Ward might not need to improvise as a lot within the years to return because the group improves.

Arm energy on show

Ward’s robust arm is probably his biggest asset and the first trait that warranted his choice at No. 1 total. It was apparent on Friday how a lot upside that cannon of a proper arm offers him.

Paradoxically, it was on a pair of incompletions that Ward flashed his energy to the best diploma. The primary occasion got here on the aforementioned improvised play whereby the offensive line dedicated a holding penalty. Ward performed by way of the flag and chucked a throw manner downfield, but it surely carried his receiver out of bounds. The catch wouldn’t have stood anyway, but it surely was a stunning instance of Ward’s famous potential to fireplace deep balls on the run.

The opposite incompletion was a masterclass in quarterbacking and a lowlight from the receiving corps. Ward zipped a move over the heads of three defenders and into the right spot for his goal, Van Jefferson, who noticed the ball slip by way of his fingers.

“Subsequent play,” Ward mentioned of the drop. “That is all we will do. If I have to throw the ball higher, or if he thought a bit too far out in entrance, or if he simply thought he dropped the ball. On the finish of the day, it is on each of us. We gotta make that play. It is higher to occur now than come season time.”

The play had “spotlight landing” written throughout it, however Jefferson couldn’t haul within the laser of a toss from his heralded quarterback.

“I got here as much as him to see how the ball was,” Ward mentioned. “He thought it was a bit bit out in entrance, so I simply gotta put it on his chest subsequent time.”

Accuracy, timing nonetheless works in progress

Preseason is as a lot about displaying uncooked abilities as it’s about accumulating stats, and Ward’s 2 for 7 night time was much better than it appeared on paper. Not the entire incompletions had been on Ward, and the performs he did make had been excellent. However because the numbers present, he was removed from good in placing the ball on the cash.

Ward thew off beam on a 3rd down play, lacking his receiver properly wanting the road to achieve to conclude his second drive. He additionally sailed a pair of throws out of Ayomanor’s attain on his third and ultimate sequence.

The timing and accuracy ought to come, although. By no means in his faculty profession did Ward end a yr with decrease than a 64.4% completion price. And three drives is just too small of a pattern dimension to attract any conclusions in that regard.