Should the Tennessee Titans bench quarterback Cam Ward?
Ward, the top 2025 NFL Draft selection, hasn't lived up to the billing so far in Music City, though it's incredibly difficult to maintain your footing when your first head coach is fired six games into your rookie season.
Ward is already on his second offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll, and the two have yet to click in Tennessee with the franchise in the middle of a dispiriting 0-5 start. Ward is 54th out of 55 quarterbacks who have played this season in total EPA, per SumerSports, only above struggling Los Angeles Chargers starter Justin Herbert.
With the Titans about to embark on a brutal stretch of the schedule (at Colts, vs. Browns, at Bengals, vs. Jaguars, at Cowboys, at Jaguars),
Tennessee may want to start thinking about the future. If Ward is in the team's future plans, would it be better for him to play through his struggles or sit for a while and regroup off the field?
Look no further than Bryce Young for a former top quarterback who got benched by coach Dave Canales in 2024 after an 0-2 start. Young eventually returned to the lineup and has held onto the job since, playing some of his best football of his NFL career in his 2026 season. The benching may have saved his career.
Ward is just 22 games into his NFL career, so it's far too early for the Titans to give up on him... in theory. In today's NFL with late-blooming quarterbacks becoming common, Ward may still figure things out and thrive as a successful NFL starter. Will it be with the Titans? A top 2027 NFL Draft pick could complicate things if the Titans find somebody they love. Ward would still hold lots of interest as a tradable candidate in the offseason, of course.
For now, we're not sure what the best answer is for the Titans and Ward. It's far from just his fault that the team's offense has struggled, with the offensive line, supporting cast and Daboll's coaching all needing improvement. However, if the Titans really believe in Ward's potential, benching him and letting him reset might not be a terrible idea... unless the team truly believes that Ward must play through his growing pains as an NFL starter.
Who is the Titans' backup quarterback?
Veteran Mitchell Trubisky is Ward's primary backup.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Should the Titans bench Cam Ward amid struggles?
