NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans need a quarterback, hold the No. 1 pick overall and have spent the offseason turning over every stone, rewatching tape and studying Miami’s Cam Ward as much as possible.
Yes, they’ve also looked closely at Shedeur Sanders, wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter and edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Signing not one, but two journeyman sure makes Ward’s name the one likely on the card the Titans give Commissioner Roger Goodell to kick off the first night of the NFL draft April 24 in Green Bay.
If not, Tennessee has done its best to generate a trade market, needing more draft picks to fill roster holes after three straight losing seasons. New general manager Mike Borgonzi has said he’s gotten calls about the No. 1 overall pick, but the Titans will need a “big haul” to make a deal.
Tennessee desperately needs a quarterback, somebody who can start and be a winner especially by the time their new stadium opens in 2027.
This franchise has whiffed on a trio of first-round quarterbacks from Vince Young (No. 3 overall in 2006), Jake Locker (No. 8 in 2011) and Marcus Mariota (No. 2 in 2015). The Titans traded down from the No. 1 pick in 2016 two weeks before that draft because they already had Mariota.
Young and Mariota each lasted five seasons. Locker retired after four seasons. Malik Willis, whom the Titans traded up to take in the third round in 2022, was traded last year, while Will Levis, the 33rd pick by the previous GM, was benched last season by first-year coach Brian Callahan.
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan, right, is interviewed at the NFL football annual meetings Monday, March 31, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
With veterans Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle signed in March, Levis appears to be trade bait with Tennessee needing to add to eight draft picks and leaving a big hole in the starting lineup. It’s why Callahan said they’re doing everything possible evaluating quarterbacks. More picks would be good for a team with only two within the first 35 picks and nothing in the third round.
A potential franchise quarterback?
“If you think they’re that good and they’re that type of player, those guys, to me, are priceless,” Callahan said March 31 at the NFL owners’ spring meetings. “There is no price that you can put on those type of players if you think that they are that caliber of quarterback.”
The Titans met with both Ward and Sanders of Colorado before the NFL talking period began just before the new league year opened. The team sent all the key front office personnel to Ward’s pro day at Miami on March 24 and planned another visit before the draft. Team officials also checked out Sanders and Hunter at Colorado’s pro day.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward runs a drill during the school’s NFL football pro day Monday, March 24, 2025, in Coral Gables, Fla. Credit: AP/Michael Laughlin
Ward finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy after his lone season at Miami where he completed 67.2% of his passes for 4,313 yards with a FBS-best and program-record 39 touchdown passes. He also had only seven interceptions. His yards gained per pass attempt was a career-best 9.5 yards. That followed two seasons at Washington State where he threw for more yards and TDs in each season while dropping his interceptions from nine in 2022 to seven in 2023.
The 6-foot-2, 219-pound Ward did his best to make his case at Miami’s pro day. He completed one pass on the run, then told the Titans’ top officials, “I’m solidifying it today … I made sure they heard me.”
Needs
Edge rusher remains a big need after Harold Landry III was released after leading the Titans with nine sacks last season to create salary cap space. So was cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. Wide receiver depth behind Calvin Ridley remains a big question. Defensive backs depth always is in demand.
Don’t need
The Titans can wait to add offensive linemen after signing Dan Moore, expected to take over at left tackle with JC Latham sliding over after his rookie year to the right side. They also signed Kevin Zeitler to a one-year deal as a new right guard hoping to improve the offensive line after Tennessee allowed 52 sacks in the 2024 season. Only Houston, Seattle, Cleveland and Chicago gave up more.
Pick ’em
Ward. At this point, he makes the most sense for a quarterback-needy team.
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