Cam Ward - Elic Ayomanor Connection Paying Early Dividends For Titans

The Tennessee Titans entered the season looking to surround rookie quarterback Cam Ward with young playmakers he could grow and develop with. That's exactly what happened between Ward and wide receiver Elic Ayomanor throughout Sunday's Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The budding chemistry they displayed is a silver lining for a rebuilding franchise moving forward.

Ward completed 19-of-33 passing attempts for 175 yards, a touchdown, and one lost fumble. Ayomanor tied for the team-high in receptions with four, converting those catches for 56 yards and a score. When Ward found himself in gotta-have-it situations, he looked to his rookie playmaker.

Facing a 3rd-and-6 from the Rams' 32-yard line in the second quarter, Ward swiftly floated an over-the-shoulder ball in Ayomanor's direction in single-man coverage. Ayomanor made an incredible one-handed grab, pinning the ball to his helmet for a 23-yard gain. It was the first of two highlight-reel-worthy plays between quarterback and receiver in quick succession.

That completion set the Titans up at 1st-and-goal from the 9-yard line. After a pair of incompletions, Ward made off-script magic happen on 3rd-and-goal. Scrambling around the backfield to evade pressure, Ward made an ill-advised cross-body throw into the end zone. Ayomanor climbed the ladder on Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes to make an incredible contested grab, tying the game at 10-10 on both rookies' first respective touchdown.

Ward and Ayomanor will never forget their first-ever touchdown connection. The horizontal distance from pass to catch covered 30.4 yards, the longest such distance on a touchdown pass on the run (8+ mph) in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016). Ward reached a top speed of 11.03 mph while scrambling, and the total air distance was 42.3 yards. It had a 14.2% chance of completion.

The Ward-Ayomanor connection extended beyond those two notable highlights. Ward also found Ayomanor with a nice back-shoulder throw on the left sideline for a 16-yard gain in the second quarter. On the Titans’ final possession of the first half, the big-bodied rookie wideout drew a pass interference penalty that helped set up a Joey Slye field goal.

Ayomanor entered the season in a supposed competition for playing time at "X" receiver with veteran free-agent signing Van Jefferson. In reality, Ayomanor played 36 snaps against the Rams on Sunday, accounting for 72% of the Titans' offensive snaps. He trailed just Calvin Ridley for the team lead. Meanwhile, Jefferson was limited to 11 plays. There is no competition.

If there's an area of improvement, creating more separation would allow Ayomanor to make simpler catches, as opposed to the difficultly contested ones he made on Sunday. According to Next Gen Stats, he created just 1.46 yards of separation on his targets. Ayomanor's ability to make those contested receptions was an equaliser, though.

The Titans are conducting a patient, lengthy rebuild. The 2025 season is about figuring out Ward's upside. The early returns have been incredibly promising. Ayomanor, one of three pass-catchers drafted by the Titans after Ward, is performing like a long-term solution in Nashville.