It’s that time of year again when NFL teams release their first unofficial depth charts. The excitement is palpable as we all find out who will be the starters who then get rested during preseason games. The Tennessee Titans just released their list of starters and backups and the world will be shocked to learn that Cam Ward is the starting quarterback.
The only reason he may not have begun the season as the starter was if last year’s sometime-starter and former second-round pick Will Levis didn’t drool all over himself in training camp. But, alas he did and opted for season-ending shoulder surgery just before camp kicked off. So, not only is Levis done for year, he might be done with the Titans for good.
So, with Levis out of the picture, this is clearly the Cam Show at this point. The only other options on the roster are backup Brandon Allen and third-stringer Tim Boyle.
No disrespect to those guys – I’m sure they are nice dudes – but if Ward were to go down for any significant period of time, the Titans would have two options:
1. Trade for Kirk Cousins.
2. Enjoy the slide into Toilet Town that comes with another first-overall draft pick in 2026, where you can take Arch Manning or sell the pick for Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and seven future first rounders.
Where is the Cam Ward hype?
Ward was the first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but you wouldn’t know it if you read any NFL headlines. It might even be tough to find someone on the streets of Nashville that could name the Titans’ starting quarterback. I’m half kidding. For being the first selection in the draft, he does get treated like some sort of bum. That’s what Levis is for!
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio has been having the same thoughts as I have. Isn’t Ward capable of turning a moribund franchise around quickly? Isn’t that why he was taken, you know, first overall?
“The most amazing aspect of any of this comes from the lack of widespread coverage or discussion about the Titans’ prospects with Ward,” Florio writes. “He has a chance to be special. The Titans have a chance to perform the same below-radar assault on a playoff berth that the Texans did with C.J. Stroud a year ago.
“The Titans probably prefer it this way. They should still be getting more attention. The No. 1 overall pick, a quarterback, is on track to start Week 1. It should be a bigger deal than it is.”
Non-Cam Ward depth chart notes
The wide receiver situation is pretty easy to parse. Simply put, there are three starting WR positions these days and the Titans have three competent (sort of) wideouts. Calvin Ridley is your A1 (thanks, Linda McMahon) starting receiver, that’s not up for debate. Then you have free-agent addition Tyler Lockett, who can play but he’s 32-years old and doesn’t scare anyone. Then there’s Van Jefferson, who will be happy to sprint down the field repeatedly in straight lines whether you throw him the ball or not.
Maybe the hype on Ward has been muted because of who he’s throwing the ball to?
At running back, the situation is less dire as if that matters. The Titans do list Tony Pollard as the starter, but that’s more for depth chart purposes. Tyjae Spears should get his chance this year and the two will probably share the load. Pollard is a very nice back, but he’s not a load carrier and never will be. As we saw in Dallas, he can be very dangerous when he has a partner in crime. And, the Titans are metaphorically hoping that the two of them get arrested together.
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