Report details unique way Cam Ward impressed Titans before, after 2025 NFL Draft

While the Tennessee Titans seemingly want rookie Cam Ward to "earn" the starting quarterback job this summer, it's widely expected that the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft will eventually be named the club's Week 1 QB1 over 2023 second-round choice Will Levis. 

For a piece published on Monday, Turron Davenport of ESPN shared how Ward began impressing individuals within the Titans before the club drafted him on the night of April 24.

"Ward has a way of connecting with different types of people," Davenport wrote. "One of his first goals when he walked into the facility last month was to learn the names of everyone, including the staff in the cafeteria and other parts of the building whose jobs might otherwise go unnoticed. That is merely an extension of what Ward did to impress the Titans brass during his predraft visit in March. They were blown away by how he befriended the staff despite spending only one day in the building."

Levis seemed to say plenty when he recently admitted the situation he finds himself in this spring "sucks." Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi and head coach Brian Callahan were both elsewhere when Tennessee drafted Levis, and Callahan benched Levis due to poor play this past December. 

Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers and Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears are the quarterbacks who were drafted first overall from 2019 through 2024. All were named Week 1 starters as rookies. Callahan served as Burrow's offensive coordinator with the Bengals during the signal-caller's debut pro season. 

"Genuine authenticity goes a long way in earning the trust of new teammates and coaches," Davenport continued. "Part of that is being willing to take accountability for mistakes. That's exactly what Ward did when he and veteran receiver Van Jefferson weren't on the same page about how the wideout came out of his break on a route during [an] install period. Ward walked over to Jefferson and ironed it out before they transitioned to another part of practice. The two connected on the same route concept for what would have been a first down during 7-on-7 reps later that practice."

The Titans don't need to confirm the identity of their starting quarterback before their three-day mandatory minicamp wraps up on June 12. That said, it appears Ward would have to be shockingly bad during August preseason games to lose the job to Levis ahead of Labor Day.