While the Tennessee Titans dropped their preseason opener, it was a valuable experience to get their No. 1 overall pick on the field. Tampa Bay took care of business, 29-7, but one of the main stories coming out of the game was Cam Ward’s performance.
The Miami graduate went 5/8 with 67 yards in his NFL debut. In his two series on the field, he made an immediate connection with Calvin Ridley. Tennessee took quite a hit by losing Tyjae Spears, but they hope to have him back for Week 1 in Denver.
Dan Orlovsky Highlights Two Positive Throws Cam Ward Made in His NFL Debut
Ward’s NFL debut saw a few incompletions, but for the most part it went according to plan. The 23-year-old may have gotten away with an interception as he was playing against the Bucs backups, but he left Raymond James Stadium after a solid performance.
Dan Orlovsky spent his 12-year NFL career on numerous teams. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2005 draft, spending his first four years in Detroit. From there he bounced around from the likes of Houston to Indianapolis to Tampa before going back to the Lions.
What I liked about Cam
Where he has to improve for @Titans @TDavenport_NFL pic.twitter.com/B4EdEoMPNo— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) August 11, 2025
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“Cam’s gotta do a good just of just confirming backside, ‘hey that backside corner ran with that single receiver’. So good job with his eyes confirming that,” the UConn graduate said.
Orlovsky continued, “The throw is flawless. Pull him away from that trailing defender. That’s how you throw guys away from eye coverage. Just watch his eyes. Seeing that backside defender, now ball out. Love that example for him of the confirmation and then the throw.”
The player turned analyst broke down another one of Ward’s completions. While this one seemed to be on a simple route, Orlovsky discussed why there was much more to it, “See how he straightens him out? Ball out. Right when the tight end is turning, look at the ball. First down. That’s what it looks like. That’s what you want it to look like.”
He added, “This is something that happened probably three or four times. It’s a little about settling in, first time in the NFL, all that stuff.”
The 41-Year-Old Mentions His Main Critique of Tennessee’s No. 1 Overall Pick
Ultimately, Ward did have three incompletions. His throws were on target, for the most part. It’s not Ward’s arm that Orlovsky is worried about, it’s his footwork.
“Here’s the thing with Cam. I’m just looking at his feet and going, ‘calm down’,” Orlovsky said. “Look at his feet, he’s parallel to the line of scrimmage. You’re not going to live long in this league like that. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
The former Lions quarterback added, “It’s a trait that he’s capable of doing, but we don’t have to. We can when it’s necessary. I just saw this a little too much. We don’t need to be parallel like that. Other than that, I thought he looked really strong.”
Brian Callahan has his work cut out for him this season. With Will Levis out for all of 2025, Ward is undoubtedly the man in charge. Both of the Titan’s backup QB’s struggled in Tampa, leaving Ward to be immediately thrown into the fire.
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