Titans HC compares Cam Ward to MVP finalist

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan was serving as offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals when the Bengals made quarterback Joe Burrow the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.  

Callahan once again finds himself coaching a rookie signal-caller after the Titans grabbed Cam Ward with the top choice of this year's player-selection process. During a recent chat with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Callahan suggested that Ward could follow in Burrow's footsteps en route to becoming an elite player at the sport's most important position. 

"It was interesting having the experience with Joe, because Joe, while he was certainly a prodigy, there were still things he was learning," Callahan said about Burrow's rookie campaign. "But he was similar in that it didn’t take him long to learn it, and he could apply and process it really fast. And Cam is the same way. People ask all the time, the comparison — where they’re most similar is their ability to take the information, understand it, process it and then apply it without having to go through the ringer. They can just do it."

Burrow largely has been as good as advertised, as the 28-year-old has one Super Bowl appearance on his career resume. Pro Football Reference shows that he ended the 2024 regular season leading the NFL with 4,918 passing yards, an average of 289.3 passing yards per game, 43 touchdowns through the air, 460 completions and 652 pass attempts. He ultimately finished fourth in MVP voting for the campaign. 

As for Ward, previous stories noted how he began holding early morning meetings with rookie skill-position players following the club's summer break. Ward indicated those sessions are helping him learn a new offense "faster" as he prepares to start Tennessee's regular-season opener at the Denver Broncos on Sept. 7. 

"It helps me with everything," Ward told Breer about putting in extra work to build up chemistry with his teammates. "Like, just me knowing where I want the receivers. Because I’ll never coach a receiver on how they run a route — as long as they get open, I don’t care. But it is about being in a certain spot when I need you to be there, just for timing purposes. …It builds relationships, as well. My position and the receiver position, it’s gotta be one of the most chemistry-driven relationships in the facility."

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty as the betting favorite at +275 odds to claim the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award over Ward (+350 odds). It will be interesting to see how those odds shift after Ward faces what is, on paper, an intimidating Denver defense. 

While Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee in November of his rookie season, he is now a two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award winner.