Coach says rookie Cam Ward near unanimous pick for one of the Titans' captains
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are banking their rebuild around quarterback Cam Ward, and the No. 1 overall draft pick is showing quick results at least inside the locker room.
Ward is one of seven Titans voted as team captains for this season, and coach Brian Callahan said the vote was pretty close to unanimous for Ward.
“Cam’s definitely earned it,” Callahan said Thursday. “The leadership he’s shown over the course of his time here from the offseason through training camp, those guys have a lot of respect for him. And traditionally, your quarterback tends to be a captain. That’s just sort of how it works.”
The Titans announced team captains Wednesday night. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Tony Pollard are captains for the first time in their careers. Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, linebacker Cody Barton, safety Amani Hooker and long snapper Morgan Cox are the others.
Ridley called being voted a captain a great honor for someone in his seventh season. He also isn't surprised that Ward was picked as well. Ward is the Titans' first quarterback voted a team captain as a rookie since Marcus Mariota in 2015.
“He came in like it was his team, you know?” Ridley said of Ward. "It was a no-brainer that he was going to get picked because he breaks the huddle down, he talks to the whole team. He’s a leader on this team.”
The Titans drafted Ward in April after going 3-14 last season. That also put them atop the NFL waiver wire for the league's roster cutdown deadline Tuesday. Tennessee, which will hold that spot through the first three weeks of the regular season, used that to claim four defensive players.
They also set their first practice squad, adding three more players Thursday morning with offensive linemen Corey Levin and Clay Webb joining defensive back Sam Webb.
Mike Borgonzi, hired in January, said Ward has done an outstanding job preparing for the regular season and the season opener Sept. 7 at Denver.
“I’m very pleased with Cam,” Borgonzi said. “The whole staff is. The way he’s come in here and worked from day one, the time he’s put in, early mornings, and just like any other rookie quarterback, they have to work through some stuff.”
Tennessee has had three straight losing seasons and now has only six players drafted by this team between 2019 and 2023. The 53-man roster features 26 players, including nine draft picks, new to Tennessee this season.
“I think some of the things we did holding on to some of these younger guys, it depends on the roster, but we want to keep our best players,” Borgonzi said. “So that’s really why we kept some of those guys on.”
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