Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward walks off the field after the game at EverBank Stadium. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How Robert Saleh Hire Impacts Titans' Cam Ward

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jan 22, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The Tennessee Titans are bringing Robert Saleh into the fold as their new head coach.

This means Saleh will bring in a brand new coaching staff that will have to turn around the Titans after winning just three games for the second year in a row. Titans quarterback and 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward is going into his second season and is viewed as the future of the franchise. Saleh, who was the defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, is going to need to put the right offensive minds around Ward in order for him to succeed.

"Hiring Saleh, whose background is on the defensive side of the ball, means someone other than the head coach will have the biggest impact on Ward. Saleh will need to find an offensive coordinator who will maximize Ward's potential," ESPN insider Turron Davenport wrote.

"Most defensive coaches place an emphasis on having a game manager at quarterback who doesn't turn the ball over. Ward found a way to limit his turnovers down the stretch in 2025; he also more than doubled his touchdown total in the final five games. He'll need to continue that trend under Saleh."

Cam Ward Must Learn New Offense

Giving Ward a new system to learn shouldn't be an issue. Ward has now been under five different head coaches in the last six seasons, inlcuding Saleh, stemming back to his collegiate days with Incarnate Word in 2021, Washington State in 2022 and 2023 and Miami in 2024, and the Titans last year with Brian Callahan leading the way.

Callahan specialized in quarterbacks, so there was potential for a strong marriage between Tennessee and its rookie quarterback. However, the Titans fired Callahan after just six games into the season.

Saleh did not have the greatest track record with quarterbacks when he was the head coach of the New York Jets. He joined the team in the same season that Zach Wilson was drafted, and he could not build a lot of momentum. Then the team traded for Aaron Rodgers, and he did not live up to expectations either after tearing his Achilles in his first appearance with the team.

This is probably the best quarterback situation Saleh has had in his head coaching career, so that part should be made a little easier for him. He will need to get the right offensive coordinator to work with Ward in order to bring the best out of him. Ward is the brightest part of the franchise's future, and if he is dimmed by Saleh, it will only set the Titans back even further.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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