Robert Saleh: Cam Ward has all the tools, but it's a long process

Titans quarterback Cam Ward said he was disappointed with how he and the team played in Sunday’s 23-10 loss to the Jets and he’s sure to find plenty of people willing to co-sign that assessment of their first game under head coach Robert Saleh.

Some people might go a little further than disappointed when it comes to where the first overall pick of the 2025 draft is as he starts his second NFL season. Ward’s best moments of the game came on a drive with under five minutes to play and the Titans down big, which led to Saleh being asked at a Monday press conference if the quarterback is more of a work in progress than the staff thought when they got to Tennessee.

Saleh pointed out that Ward has had seven offensive coordinators in the last seven years and that they are “trying to build a foundation” for him to make the needed improvements.

“His growth will happen throughout the year,” Saleh said. “His growth is gonna happen next year and the year after. This young man is at the floor of what it takes to be an NFL quarterback, but he has all the tools, the mental makeup to get to where he needs to go. It’s time on task, it’s giving the kid stability, it’s giving the young man the chance to be repetitive in his day-to-day process with the right coaching to help him get better. . . . It’s a long process, long process to get these kids to get them where you need to get to, quarterback especially.”

Saleh said he’s not trying to “shield” Ward and noted both some “easy throws” that he thinks the quarterback would want to have back and improvements he’s seen in Ward’s pocket presence. Signs of those gains are going to have to start coming a little more often if Ward is going to continue looking like a worthwhile project in Tennessee.