Cam Ward, Brian Callahan and the Tennessee Titans’ historically worrying challenge

NASHVILLE — The No. 1 pick looked exasperated.

Cam Ward and his Tennessee Titans offense had just completed a dud of an Aug. 3 practice while coach Brian Callahan, standing directly behind his players during sprints, blared his disappointment with profanity. The day’s errant throws, missed protections and dropped passes were all on Callahan’s mind.

Minutes later, as assistant coaches and players scattered, Ward could be seen locked into conversation with Callahan at midfield, sometimes motioning with his hands in animated fashion. The quarterback and coach discussed the root causes of the day’s miscues for about 10 minutes.

Bryce Young, was fired 11 games into his lone season with the Carolina Panthers. One season later, third-year coach Matt Eberflus lasted 12 games with No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, the player with the «generational talent» label who was supposed to be the antidote to decades of quarterback maladies in Chicago.

Jayden Daniels and the Commanders showed this past season that immediate turnarounds can happen. The list of No. 1 selections with winning records (minimum three starts) as rookie QBs in the common draft era is one name long: Andrew Luck (2012).

«I think the old adage is that pressure is a bit of privilege,» Callahan said. «You get a chance to work with a great player when you pick him at the top of the draft. If it so happens to be a quarterback, that doesn’t change anything for me, how I go about my job, what I do on a day-to-day basis, what I believe about the development of the position. None of that changes. It’s exciting. It’s what you hope for.»

Yet the degree of difficulty in steering the franchise back toward contender status is high. And for Callahan, the dubious past of top-pick rookies will be prologue.

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DJ Moore in that deal and first- and second-round picks in 2023 and 2024.

Carolina had undergone significant change before the 2023 season, with a major move in each of the previous three years — hiring coach Matt Rhule in January 2020, hiring general manager Scott Fitterer in January 2021 and firing Rhule in October 2022. The roster was not a finished product even before the trade, meaning Young’s rookie year would feature the lack of a true No. 1 receiving threat or a stellar run game.

Los Angeles Rams’ coaching tree, as his offensive coordinator. The plan was to blend Sean McVay’s Rams system with Reich’s offensive background and philosophy. But Reich was calling the plays for Young, and said he realized at some point between the spring and training camp that using the McVay terminology while calling the plays himself «wasn’t going to feel right,» so he made tweaks.

One team source felt Reich never «truly bought in» to Brown’s plan of attack; another believed the staff featured «too many cooks in the kitchen» preparing Young, who was 1-9 in 10 starts and ranked 29th in the NFL in Total QBR with a rating of 32.0 when Reich was fired Nov. 27. It didn’t get better afterward, as Young ended up 2-14 as the starter and finished second to last among QBR qualifiers.

«I don’t know if that ultimately ended up being fair to Bryce,» Reich said of the blending of systems. «It wasn’t because of Thomas. He brought an ‘A’ game every day. Myself and the other guys that were with me, we were doing the same thing. In many respects, we brought it together the best we could. It probably made it a little more difficult for Bryce.»

ESPN’s roster rankings listed the Titans 28th out of 32 teams this past month — Ward will have more continuity in the coaching staff than did Young. Callahan will call the plays for a second straight year, and offensive coordinator Nick Holz and quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree are also holdovers.

After making three college stops, Ward said he is yearning for continuity.

«I’m trying to play as long as I can for Tennessee with those three guys at the helm,» he said. «They continuously give me feedback even when I don’t want feedback. I’m blessed to have those three in the same room with me. They push me to be great and I want to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. It would unlock everything.»

But Callahan’s staff will also have to put Ward in position to succeed in a way Carolina failed to do with Young.

«There’s a saying that organizations fail quarterbacks more than quarterbacks fail themselves,» Titans assistant general manager Dave Zeigler said.

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One Panthers team source said Young developed poor habits with footwork, sloppy fundamentals and overall preparation in his season with Reich’s staff. Young averaged around 33 passing attempts per game behind a bad offensive line that surrendered 62 sacks, making Young the second-most sacked quarterback in the league in 2023.

Reich said now he felt Young had the mental toughness to handle criticism, and even though he corrected mistakes, Reich admitted «[Young] was getting beat up, so I wasn’t going to be too critical of him.» As a former NFL quarterback, Reich said he understood the sometimes fragile psychology of the position. It’s something Callahan and his staff will have to consider as it determines how hard to push with Ward.

«Learning the pro game … defenses are a lot better. There are no easy games,» Reich said. «You have to earn every completion, every first down, every touchdown, every win. The ultimate formula for success is great quarterback play and a great defense. But I also do think if you have a legit No. 1 guy who is special, I think early on you want a couple of weapons [that] can show how he’s special. And obviously you have to protect him.»

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Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator before joining Chicago in January 2024. Among chief concerns, the source said, were whether personalities would jell and how Waldron would use him.

«Whoever he talked to in Seattle didn’t give him the best reviews,» the source said. Waldron, now on Jacksonville’s staff, declined to comment for this story.

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Like Brown, Waldron came from the Rams’ coaching tree, which prioritizes the run game and play-action, considered good for young quarterbacks. Also on Chicago’s 2024 staff was Brown, hired after Reich’s staff in Carolina was dismantled.

But the Bears found out early that the combination of Waldron and Eberflus wouldn’t be strong enough for Williams. (Eberflus, now the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, was not made available for this story.) As one team source put it, the staff projected the feeling of, «We will figure it out, he’s a rookie,» whereas more direct tutelage on the basics of quarterback play was needed. It’s also notable that the Bears did not have another veteran on the roster for Williams to lean on, which multiple sources found problematic.

Williams told Wickersham he had to watch game film alone, without guidance from the staff, which rankled some members of Eberflus’ staff who saw accountability issues in that statement. But rookie seasons are about survival, and quarterbacks need support systems to tread water.

During the season, Williams began struggling with some of the basics such as finding easy completions over the middle of the field or smoothly getting from the playcall in the huddle to the line of scrimmage without hiccups. To be sure, many rookies struggle with this, and not every rookie posts a respectable 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in their first season.

Regardless, Williams’ transition from Lincoln Riley’s shotgun-heavy system at USC was considered a major undertaking in NFL circles, and one that took Arizona’s Kyler Murray, also a former No. 1 pick, time to master. As an AFC executive noted, Williams’ tendency to make plays off raw talent instead of playing on time and within the structure of an offense raised concerns about his ability to succeed in Year 1.

«This was not going to go well with the OC, and I think they realized that early,» the executive said. «I just thought [Williams] never saw the field well and it showed.»

Lions’ Ben Johnson.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles acknowledged the philosophical changes under Johnson in a diplomatic way. Poles classified Johnson’s coaching of Williams as «relentless, especially with fine-tuning the nuances of the position.»

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«Before it was a little bit more, ‘How can we just bridge him to this first year?'» Poles said. «This [season] is like, ‘We have to set your foundation, and you don’t really have a choice.’ It’s tough love, and I think he was looking for that.»

Poles said he learned a lot about the potential pitfalls of working with a rookie quarterback, wisdom Callahan and the Titans might want to consider.

«It’s definitely case by case and what the foundation is,» Poles said. «I would say that relationship [is key], that compatibility piece between quarterback and coach, the balance between, ‘All right, we’re going to bend to the rookie and make him feel comfortable’ versus, ‘There are some hard things we have to get through and you’re going to be uncomfortable but we’re going to press you through that.'»

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Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator during Joe Burrow’s rookie season in 2020. He said he has helped prepare for Ward’s rookie acclimation process by rewatching clips of his meetings with Burrow that year, which are still accessible via Zoom, a by-product of the prevaccine COVID-19 era.

Burrow proved to be a relatively fast learner. But the NFL game challenges everyone, and while Burrow had a promising rookie season before a season-ending knee injury 10 games in, he also won only twice in 10 starts. Burrow had to learn how to handle defensive pressure in the pocket, as well as the nuances of timing, extending plays, the speed of the NFL and complexities of protection, which Callahan threw at his pupil «as fast as possible,» he said.

Callahan is doing the same thing with Ward, who he said also has a high mental capacity for the game. He also believes Ward, like Burrow, has an outstanding ability to process quickly.

«Certain things you have to do as an NFL quarterback,» Callahan said. «It’s very different from college — you have to figure out where the blind spots are. Where are those spots, and how do you help introduce what that looks like?»

Callahan saw some of those spots in that rough practice earlier this month, when the tasks included almost exclusively third-down work and the defense disguised blitzes to fluster the quarterback. That day was ugly, but on the next one, Ward responded with a strong performance.

One reason why: Ward’s otherworldly drive. Callahan said Ward is in the building every day between 4:30 and 5 a.m. and brings teammates with him. The weight room is now packed early, which is a change from this past year and one for which Ward has been a catalyst. Former All-Pro wide receiver Tyler Lockett said he signed with Tennessee because «I wanted to play with Cam,» and revels in the chance to connect on improvisational plays from out of the pocket, an area in which both players excel.

«It’s the second play,» Lockett said about what he learned after years of running off script plays with Russell Wilson in Seattle. «There’s the first play, which is everyone running their routes and the quarterback going through his progressions, and the second play is to be able to run and get open and having an awareness of where everybody is.»

Dan Moore Jr., wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Tony Pollard in the past two free agent cycles — but are unlikely to contend for a championship in 2025.

Deepening the intrigue is an organization that has faced its share of turmoil after firing a key figurehead in three straight cycles — general manager Jon Robinson in December 2022, coach Mike Vrabel in January 2024 and Robinson’s replacement, Ran Carthon, in January 2025.

Of late, the organizational timeline resembles scribbles in a child’s coloring book. The franchise hired Chad Brinker from Green Bay as assistant general manager in February 2023, a month after hiring Carthon as GM, only to promote both figures after the 2023 season, naming Brinker the president of football operations and Carthon a vice president.

A year after that, Tennessee owner Amy Adams Strunk fired Carthon on Jan. 7, then turned to Brinker to fix the problem. Brinker handpicked Mike Borgonzi, a longtime Kansas City lieutenant, as GM. Both Borgonzi and Brinker come from places that value longevity, which requires patience.

There was consideration given to completely cleaning house and sending Callahan on his way along with Carthon, multiple Titans sources confirmed. Callahan and Carthon had a close relationship, and having the No. 1 pick gave Tennessee an opportunity to bring in a new general manager, coach and rookie quarterback at the same time.

But the front office took an honest look at the talent on the roster and factored that into Callahan’s record in his first season. The front office didn’t lose sight of Callahan being one of the league’s in-demand coaching candidates when the Titans hired him.

Houston’s C.J. Stroud (2023) and Daniels posting back-to-back banner rookie years. That both were drafted behind Young and Williams produces two reminders: That finding franchise pillars is an inexact process, and that it can be done.

Tennessee is acutely aware of both realities, hoping Ward’s presence can galvanize a team and elevate the play around him.

But that’s a lot to ask, too.

«You don’t want to put wins and losses on a rookie quarterback, but obviously we want to win football games,» Callahan said. «When you look back at success or failure of a rookie year, you look at Jayden Daniels’ year and say that was a success. You look at Caleb and say that probably wasn’t. But it’s all based on record. Well, Caleb did a lot of good things, just like Jayden did. The teams are different. It’s hard to compare those guys. But you see the standards of what it’s supposed to look like.»

Callahan revels in the chance to work with what he hopes is NFL greatness. Developing a talented quarterback from the ground up is «exciting,» he said, and «what you hope for.»

Rival teams see work to be done. One executive with an NFL team who has scouted Ward this preseason said he’s a «very gifted thrower» but «has a tough time reading defenses vs. pressure» and «likes to hold the ball» — similar criticisms that Williams faced in Chicago this past year. The difference is that Williams is widely considered the better passer.

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Callahan’s plan is to be consistent with Ward through triumph and turbulence, knowing both labels can be fleeting. Sometimes, the positive is a by-product of teammates making the quarterback look good with a brilliant block or a receiver taking a screen pass 60 yards. Sometimes, an interception isn’t the quarterback’s fault.

Ward seems comfortable with the accountability required in all of it. Ward’s numbers in his second preseason start were pedestrian (2-of-7, 42 yards), but the highlight throw was a beautiful deep shot to receiver Van Jefferson, placing the ball accurately between three defenders. Jefferson dropped the pass. Ward said after the game that he needed to put that ball more on Jefferson’s chest than to force the receiver to stretch for the ball.

Ward is playing all the right notes. What he wants in return is continuity from the organization around him.

«You see it with the best quarterbacks out there — Tom Brady, he had stability,» Ward said. «Lamar [Jackson], he had stability, Pat [Mahomes], he had stability. I think a lot of guys who have stability in the NFL can succeed long term.»