How Is Cam Ward Performing So Far?

We're approximately one quarter through the 2025 season. Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward has made five starts. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft has been stellar thus far, with room for improvement.

Ward’s raw numbers leave something to be desired. He's thrown for 879 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Ward has completed a league-low 51.8% of his passing attempts (85-of-164). However, the tape consistently proves the Titans' lackluster supporting cast is largely to blame.

The Titans' pass catchers have been credited with eight drops this campaign, per Pro Football Focus. Combing through the All-22, that feels generously low. For example, rookie wideout Elic Ayomanor definitely dropped two passes in Week 5, but was somehow blamed for just one.

Next Gen Stats realizes that. Ward's expected completion percentage (xCOMP%) is 59%. The difference between that and his actual completion percentage is -7.1. That's the second-largest margin of difference in the league. His PFF-adjusted completion percentage is 64.6%, and he’s been credited with double the amount of big-time throws (6) than turnover-worthy plays (3).

In terms of what Ward can control, cycling through his progressions and taking what the defense gives him is an area he can improve. At Miami, Ward's penchant for generating explosives led to off-script success. He's searching for those opportunities too often, occasionally hitting on something highlight-reel worthy. His first career touchdown was of this variety.

Ward completed something similar against the Houston Texans in Week 4. The former Incarnate Word and Washington State quarterback evaded a sack and threw a cross-body explosive to Ayomanor. He's doing something this crazy once a week.

The offensive line is another position group that struggled around Ward early, but is now improving. Ward has still been sacked on a league-high 19 occasions, but he’s been sacked just two times apiece in Tennessee’s latest two games. The Titans poured premium resources into their offensive line this past offseason and the unit is finally starting to come together. The Titans have also essentially played the entire campaign without their best offensive tackle, JC Latham, who appears ready to return in Week 6. The arrow is trending up.

It's also worth noting that Ward is coming off his best performance, leading an improbable come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. It took the Cardinals making several boneheaded plays to keep Tennessee alive, but Ward took full advantage of the opportunity. After a tough start offensively, Ward completed 13-of-19 attempts for 193 yards on the Titans' final three scoring drives.

What was especially notable about the game-winning drive is that it started with him taking three checkdowns. After completing a 16-yarder to Chig Okonkwo, Ward essentially hit the game-winning play to Calvin Ridley for 38 yards. It was an over-the-shoulder accurate bucket drop with roughly 30 seconds left, setting Joey Slye up for a game-winning field goal.

Speaking of Ridley, he registered five receptions for 131 yards on Sunday. After struggling with focus drops during the early portion of the campaign, the seasoned wideout appears to overcome the mental block. The Ward-Ridley connection consistently flashed in training camp and throughout the preseason. It could be huge for Ward moving forward.

The proverbial lightbulb came on for Ward in Sunday's thrilling victory over the Cardinals. The Titans are also seemingly improving around him, both at wide receiver and across the offensive line. Ward appears poised for consistent improvement throughout the rest of 2025.