Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward, the first overall pick from last year’s draft, did little to assuage any concerns in his second preseason outing, especially after he faced off against our very own Seahawks’ backups on Sunday night. It was his first standalone NFL game, and if you were watching, it wasn’t a great close-up for the second-year QB.
The Numbers Tell a Story of Discomfort, Not Progress
Ward wrapped up his night completing 8 of 12 passes for a meager 69 yards, and get this, he wasn’t even on the field for half the second quarter. While those raw numbers might not scream “catastrophe,” if you actually watched the game, it was anything but impressive. Ward completed some quick passes early on, especially on his first drive against the Seahawks’ backups, but he still looked pretty uncomfortable unless he was unloading the ball right away on his first read. He got the ball out fast on a few run-pass option plays, even hitting Tony Pollard on a flare route that Pollard turned into a 33-yard gain after a Seahawks defender stumbled. Honestly, Ward had very little to do with that play beyond getting the ball out quickly; Pollard made all the magic happen. And that was the only completion Ward had for more than 9 yards all night! Talk about limited impact.
Downfield Woes and Missed Opportunities Show Little Improvement
When Ward tried to push the ball downfield, it was a mess. He threw one downfield that rookie Carnell Tate just couldn’t bring in because it was a little too far outside. He missed another target by a few yards. Then there was the play where Elic Ayomanor beat his man, but Ward didn’t put enough on the pass, leading to an underthrow and no pass interference call. After all that, the Titans settled for a field goal. As one tweet perfectly put it, Ward, well, he uncorked one to absolutely nobody! Even on the next drive, everything Ward completed was short and quick. When he finally tried to go downfield on third down, he threw quickly to a heavily covered Calvin Ridley, and though it was knocked incomplete, Ridley drew a pass interference penalty to keep the drive alive. Ridley nearly lost a fumble scrambling later, but thankfully it went out of bounds. Ward did scramble to find tight end Gunnar Helm downfield, but the pass was late and Helm couldn’t stay in bounds. It might have been a nice throw, but it ultimately didn’t matter.
Ward struggled against the 49ers’ backups last week too, going 5 of 12 for 57 yards and almost getting picked off on a late pass to the middle. It’s clear that Ward is still failing to impress and doesn’t seem to be making any significant strides heading into his second season. With the regular season right around the corner, Titans fans have to be wondering what’s next for their former first-overall pick.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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