Titans' Cam Ward addresses latest lackluster preseason performance after win over Seahawks

While the Tennessee Titans improved to 2-0 on the preseason via a 19-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, the play of second-year Titans quarterback Cam Ward over the club's two exhibition contests alarmed pockets of Tennessee fans. 

Against the Seahawks' backups, Ward went 8-of-12 passing for 69 yards. In total, he helped Tennessee score just three points over three drives. Following the game, Ward suggested that he isn't losing sleep about his play. 

Cam Ward knows Titans have "got to be better down the field"

"I think just missed opportunities on some plays, particularly our passing game," Ward said about his play against Seattle, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "I think it was improvement from last week, but just got to be better down the field as a whole."

The Titans are hoping that Ward, the first pick of the 2025 draft, will make a major leap while playing under first-year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. However, the signal-caller displayed some worrisome accuracy issues during the spring. After he completed 5-of-12 pass attempts for 57 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in a 19-13 win at the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 13, first-year Titans head coach Robert Saleh noted that Ward "was a little sped up more than he had been in camp."

"Everything slowed down," Ward added following Sunday's game about playing in Daboll's offense. "We're finally at the point where we're not going to be installing too much stuff. One thing about coach (Daboll) is he can go to walkthrough, he can make up a play in his head, and we'll run it right there, and we will execute it right there. So it's going to be nice to really show what we really are about when the time comes. But, I mean, it's exciting because you get to get reps on plays that you don't get in OTAs. So, you're really getting a feel of -- he's getting a feel of what I really like and what I don't like, and then when the time comes we're going to do a lot of stuff that the players feel comfortable with."

Robert Saleh makes blunt admission about Titans' offense

According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Saleh spoke honestly following Sunday's game about his expectations for his offense with Ward in the lineup.

"I thought the first drive was good," Saleh said about Ward's outing against Seattle. "We went out there and got some points. Thought Cam, again, was good with the ball, good decision-making. We just couldn’t connect on a couple of deep throws, but, overall, it’s got to be better. I’m not trying to sugarcoat it. It does got to be better, but at the same time, there’s always going to be things that we can take from."

Ward and Co. will attempt to make the Titans' offense a better unit before Tennessee opens the regular season with a home game against the New York Jets, Saleh's former employer, on Sept. 13.