How Titans want Cam Ward to improve after firing of Brian Callahan

A previous report revealed that concerns regarding the development of rookie quarterback Cam Ward were among the reasons the Tennessee Titans decided to fire second-year head coach Brian Callahan after they fell to 1-5 on the season. 

Ward is now playing under interim head coach Mike McCoy, who previously served as a senior offensive assistant with the Titans. On Wednesday, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN touched upon how the Titans want Ward to improve through Week 18 of the ongoing campaign. 

Cam Ward needs to take more "layups" during Titans' lost season

"Where the Titans are working with Ward is taking the layups when they are there," Fowler wrote. "He's making the game harder than it has to be in some cases. Just because he can make a throw doesn't mean he should bypass the easy yards available elsewhere. Also, some with the Titans feel Ward is at his best when he can play faster, sometimes going no-huddle, making him less robotic. That requires the ability to spread things out with skill players."

While rookie quarterbacks are expected to endure struggles, Ward mostly failed to impress over the first seven regular-season starts of his career. ESPN stats show that he enters Week 8 ranked last in the league among qualified passers with a 23.9 adjusted QBR on the campaign. His only win of the season came as a result of early Christmas gifts handed to the Titans by the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. 

Are Titans having second thoughts about drafting Cam Ward? 

History shows that a newly-hired coach often prefers to develop a hand-picked quarterback instead of being married to a signal-caller. That said, it seems those running the Titans aren't yet having second thoughts about drafting Ward over Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants this past spring. 

"The Titans aren't panicking about Cam Ward's struggles through seven games, but they need more from him," Fowler added. "Ward has shown the ability to pull off difficult throws. He'll squeeze the ball into just about any window. Ward looks for those throws because that fearless nature got him this far, so there's a conviction that comes with that."

Ideally, Ward will take steps in the right direction en route to guiding Tennessee to at least a couple more wins before the season wraps up. The 1-6 Titans next play at the Indianapolis Colts (6-1) this coming Sunday. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, ESPN BET had Tennessee as a 14.5-point underdog for that matchup.