Cam Ward continues to show a lot while playing just a little in the NFL preseason. In a preseason showdown with the Atlanta Falcons Friday night, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft showcased everything that should have Tennessee Titans fans excited.
After an impressive debut in his first preseason game, the Titans rookie QB saw less action in the 23-20 victory over the Falcons, but he demonstrated what NFL scouting reports drooled about in the two passes he did complete.
Movement in the pocket, arm strength, and leadership are attributes that stood out about Ward and what made him the consensus top QB entering the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ward showed it all off in his first pass of the night, a 35-yard completion to Elic Ayomanor.
Check this out:
First pass of the day from @Cameron7Ward goes for 35 yards to @elicayomanor
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 15, 2025
📺: #TENvsATL on @WKRN & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/fb6rnBiiVb
Cam Ward doing what the Titans need him to do
It wasn’t anything spectacular, but the movement with his feet, the pocket presence and getting the ball out with accuracy are all good signs of Ward’s maturation in running an NFL offense. Although he saw limited action again, Titan’s head coach Brian Callahan is happy with what he sees from the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"He's shown all the things that we need to see from an operation standpoint," Callahan said, via CBS Sports. "The holding and a false start on a third-and-short that put us in a third-and-longer, not ideal, but that's really not on him. Those are things that we've gotta do better around him."
In completing 2-of-7 passes for 42 yards, Ward had his own reflection of his performance which mirrored Callahan’s assessment.
"I think it went pretty good, in terms of operation-wise, getting in and out of the huddle," Ward said, following the game. "I think the biggest thing we have to build from is just not starting backed up, and not shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties, and unnecessary stuff we don't need."
Obviously, Ward and the Titans’ offense still have things to work on, but as far as raw talent, the top pick in the draft dazzled with his arm on plays he made and plays that could’ve been. There were a couple of incompletions that did showcase the arm strength Ward possesses. One of those was a deep ball while on the run. Once he works on his timing and gets more accurate as a passer, those are plays that will turn into highlight reels throughout the 2025 NFL season.