Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward was given a tough assignment this season, and he handled it with class, composure, and professionalism. There were many times it would have been acceptable for him to lose his cool, to call out various players or coaches, or at least express some anger. He did express some frustration, but took the blame on himself.
The end of the regular season brings a period where we assess how the season went, and the NFL recently ranked the starting quarterbacks for all 32 teams. They were grouped into five tiers, with the likes of Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts in the first tier. Cam Ward fell into the fifth tier, ranking 25th overall.
Cam Ward’s rookie season was typical of a first-year signal-caller playing with a cast that needs additional reinforcements. He showed some fantastic creativity as an improvisational artist, built a gradual rapport with fellow rookies Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, was good for a few amazing highlights and has plenty of room to grow.
Through 17 games, Ward completed 59.8% of his passes for 3,169 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing seven interceptions and fumbling the ball 11 times. But he wasn’t the worst in the league, and that’s positive. There are five quarterbacks ranked below him in the 5th tier (Geno Smith, Tua Tagovialoa, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy), and there are two quarterbacks hanging out in Tier 6 (Shedeur Sanders, Justin Fields).
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Ward definitely has room for growth and development, which is why finding the right head coach and offensive coordinator is such a big deal. He has the potential to be an elite quarterback, but it’s going to take the right combination of coaches, and it’s going to take some time.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans: Where is Cam Ward in the NFL QB rankings?
