Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward’s interception in the final seconds of Week 3’s 12-7 loss at the New York Giants stoked the conversation about the 2025 NFL No. 1 draft pick’s future in Nashville.
Ward fell to 3-17 as the Titans starter.
Titans coach Robert Saleh said he had no intention of benching Ward when asked about it after the Giants
game. But the conversation has begun for fans and talking heads.Tennessee (0-3) faces the possibility of an 0-4 start. They play at the Baltimore Ravens (2-1) on Oct. 1 (noon, CBS).
Here are three reasons why Saleh should bench Ward and three reasons why he shouldn’t.
prediction
3 reasons why Titans should bench Cam Ward
1. If Mitch Trubisky can win more games, fans deserve that
The new Nissan Stadium is being paid through $760 million in Metro Nashville Sports Authority revenue bonds funded by tourists and spending around the stadium. “Tourists” and people who “spend around the stadium” can also be Titans fans. They deserve to experience more victories, and backup Mitch Trubisky might be able to deliver that.
Trubisky, 32, is 31-26 as a starter, including an 11-3 record and Pro Bowl appearance in 2018 with the Chicago Bears. In nine NFL seasons he averages a respectable 6.7 yards per pass. Why not try?
Trubisky’s just 2-5 as a starter since 2021, but consider 38-year-old Houston Texas quarterback Case Keenum.
Keenum hadn’t played a game in 1,009 days before going 24-of-34 passing for 247 yards passing, two touchdowns and a rushing TD in a 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 28.
2. What if Ward needs a spark?
This is old-school football stuff.
But would giving Ward a breather allow him to step back from the pressure and evaluate himself? Would it light a fire under him?
3. Cam Ward stats show it's not working
How much more do the Titans need to see? Ward is just the seventh NFL quarterback since 1950 to lose 17 of his first 20 starts.
Why are his rookie struggles from last year still an issue?
Ward is 55-of-88 (62%) passing for 504 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. That's hard to fathom for a No. 1 pick.
3 reasons why Titans should not bench Cam Ward
1. Titans' reactive decisions haven't worked in the past
The Titans have gotten nowhere with their knee-jerk decisions.
Spoiling Ward’s confidence and bailing on him too early would only continue a trend that hasn’t worked for the organization.
2. Other franchise quarterbacks have overcome bad starts
Among the seven quarterbacks who went 3-17 in their first 20 starts are Hall of Famers Steve Young and Troy Aikman. Young (San Francisco 49ers) and Aikman (Dallas Cowboys) became franchise QBs and combined for four Super Bowl rings.
Comparing Ward to those guys isn’t fair to him, but imagine the egg on Tennessee's face if they move too quickly from Ward and he pans out elsewhere.
3. Cam Ward wasn't going to win big immediately
The Titans are 19-49 since 2022. Their problems go beyond Ward, all the way down to a perplexing special teams problem, where Tennessee has fallen to the bottom of the league.
This is not an easy lift for a rookie or even second-year player, especially one that hasn’t had any continuity whatsoever on the coaching side since joining the league. As far as the playoffs or a reaching a .500 record — whatever the bar may be — this season might slip away completely from the Titans if things get ugly against the Ravens.
Ward has shown a few flashes. When the offense was on, it really cooked in New York.
The Titans should let this play out, get as many data points as they can and regroup in January.
Tyler Palmateer covers the Tennessee Titans for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform,@tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Should Tennessee Titans bench Cam Ward vs Ravens? 3 reasons why and why not
