Fans always want their No. 1 pick to be the starting QB Week 1, and now Tennessee Titans fans are about to have that wish granted... just not in the way anyone wants. On Monday, it was announced that Will Levis will have season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder, meaning any competition in training camp is now over.
Granted, Ward was the overwhelmingly likely starter in Week 1 anyway, but now with Levis out of the picture, it's Ward's team.
It's also.. a little bleak to look at the Titans' depth chart at quarterback right now. A move might be coming to add a backup before the season starts, but here's where things stand right now.
Projected Titans QB depth chart as Will Levis to miss 2025 season
Position | Player |
|---|---|
QB1 | Cam Ward |
QB2 | Brandon Allen |
QB3 | Tim Boyle |
With Levis in the picture, things seemed set at QB. For all his struggles as a starter, he's a capable backup behind Ward if he ever needed to be called on in a pinch. Allen and Boyle are closer to practice squad guys and if Ward struggles, at the moment, there isn't much insurance behind him.
There are pros and cons to a setup like this; the pro is that Ward knows he'll have the full confidence of the organization behind him when he takes the field as a rookie in the fall. The biggest con is that, well, he'll have their full confidence because they don't have another choice. There's no "Well, at least we have this reliable veteran if Ward fails," which is present for many other rookie quarterbacks. Ward will have plenty of chances to fail because there isn't another NFL quarterback to tag in if things go sideways.
Titans have no safety blanket after Cam Ward
And there isn't a supremely talented roster around him, so the rookie QB will not be playing his rookie season on "rookie mode," per se. Calvin Ridley is a real WR1 and he could certainly form a great tandem with Ward early, but there isn't much starpower elsewhere.
The expectations for Tennessee aren't a Super Bowl — so Ward now has a green light to just go out and play, which is what all rookies should have.