Cam Ward had an up-and-down rookie season. His struggles should come as no surprise. He was playing for a team with a bad coaching staff, a bad offensive line, and bad weapons. The Titans also faced a brutal schedule of opposing defenses. That’s a really tough situation for a rookie quarterback.
With all of that being said, year two needs to show significant improvement. The Titans now have a really good offensive coaching staff. They have upgraded the receiving corps, and the offensive line should
be ready to take a step forward. The excuses are pretty much out the window at this point.
So that begs the question: what are the expectations for Ward in year 2?
First off, he needs to be consistent. His play was all over the map last season. It looked like he had really turned the corner last season in the Week 12 game against the Seattle Seahawks when he went 28 of 42 for 256 yards and a touchdown against a really good defense. Unfortunately, he didn’t top 175 yards passing in the next three games.
Secondly, he needs to get better at avoiding sacks. He was sacked 55 times last season in 17 starts. That number has to come down in 2026. Of course, some of that is on the offensive line, but there were definitely times last year when he held onto the ball too long. His internal clock has to improve.
As long as Ward can stay healthy this year, he needs to throw for at least 3,600 yards. He just needs to average a little over 211 yards per game to hit that number. The Titans have the weapons to make that possible.
He also needs to be in the top half of the league in passing touchdowns. Last season, he threw for just 15 touchdowns, which was good for 25th. Joe Burrow, who started just 8 games, threw 17 touchdowns. To get in the top half of the league, Ward will probably have to throw 25 touchdowns.
There are so many factors that go into a quarterback’s numbers, but if we don’t see a stat line from Ward that looks something like 3,600/25/9, it will be a big disappointment.
What are your expectations for Ward in 2026?
