Titans QB Cam Ward Understood The Assignment In Preseason Debut

TAMPA, Fla. — This was not the surprise splash of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throwing for two touchdowns, or the sheer volume of the New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart throwing for 154 yards and a score in their respective preseason debuts.

But Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward took his first NFL steps Saturday night, leaving after two possessions, the last an 11-play touchdown drive, in an otherwise unremarkable 29-7 preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“[He] was begging to go back in, but that wasn’t in the cards tonight,” Titans coach Brian Callahan said. “I thought he did some good things, and it was encouraging … I thought he looked good, started to feel a little bit [more] comfortable. … He did what we would hope he would do in his first action, and he is going to get more of it to come.”

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft got to Raymond James Stadium six hours early, passing time by watching film and even part of a John Cena movie — he had played on the same field last year, leading Miami (Fla.) to a 50-15 rout of USF with 404 yards and three touchdown passes. This was going to be a more modest appearance by design, a cameo almost, but he understood his first NFL assignment.

“It’s a lot of guys’ first time playing together, but it felt good to come up with points,” Ward said of his successful second drive, after going three-and-out on his first. “It felt good, operation-wise. We really didn’t have any MAs (missed assignments). I think the biggest thing was just us being able to play in a real game atmosphere together, getting the vibe of each other and then playing together like we did.”

On a night when the Bucs rested nearly all their starters, the Titans made a point to play theirs, surrounding Ward with the talent he’ll be playing with, and it was clear on the second drive. On the first play, Ward lined up in shotgun, dropped back and had time to be patient, finding receiver Calvin Ridley wide-open down the middle for a 27-yard gain.

“Offensive line, I think that was a big reason why we were able to move the ball our second drive,” Ward said. “Those guys, they came up front and they had the mindset to go get it. They gave me enough time to put the ball in [Ridley’s] hands and let him make the play and they were the reason why we finished off that drive with points.”

Ridley was flagged for offensive pass interference, the kind of 10-yard penalty that can scuttle a drive, but Ward responded, going back to Ridley for gains of 10 and 13 yards to move the chains. Twice, he found himself in third-down situations, but moved the chains. He hit tight end Chig Okonkwo for 10 yards on a third-and-9 and then receiver Tyler Lockett for 7 yards on a third-and-6. That set up a 1-yard Tony Pollard run for the Titans’ only points of the night and a successful debut for Ward.

“To overcome a penalty in a drive is hard to do and it was good to see us do it,” Callahan said. “I thought he made two really nice throws to get us back into a manageable spot, and then converted on third down. Always excellent to see overcoming those holes. You don’t like to get in them, but they happen occasionally and it was good to see us come out of it.”

Ward, wearing the No. 1 jersey that Warren Moon took out of retirement to let him play in, finished 5 of 8 for 67 yards with no interceptions or sacks, then watched as the Titans’ backups struggled, with Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle failing to generate any scoring, finishing with three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.

Cam Ward made his first preseason start in the NFL on Saturday. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

This week in Tampa gave Ward not only his first preseason game, but his first joint practice as well, getting the chance to work against the Bucs on their practice fields, to see a different look on defense. He held his own there in drills, connecting with Ridley and a trio of rookie receivers who could stick on the roster with him in Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike and Xavier Restrepo. Everything is still new for them, but Saturday was a chance to glimpse into their NFL futures and learn small lessons.

“I think my biggest one is that I have to maximize my drives,” Ward said. “I had a three-and-out in the first quarter and that’s all we did. So just maximizing my drives and just try to continuously move the chains to give the defense a break.”

His preseason will continue to ramp up, first with another road game at the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, then at home for the preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings. Like the movie he watched at the stadium, his NFL career has only just started.

“I didn’t finish it yet,” Ward said of the movie. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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