'He has a sense of confidence': Titans' Cam Ward earning respect from vets, O-line

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- This year's Tennessee Titans roster has undergone much turnover than astir each different teams successful the league -- with 59.4% of the existent roster being with the Titans past season, according to OverTheCap.com.

As Tennessee moves into signifier 3 of OTAs, the violative enactment has been 1 of the much affected groups. There's 2 caller starters and a presumption power connected the enactment -- which astir apt volition interaction the backmost position, wherever No. 1 prime Cam Ward looks to beryllium successful enactment to instrumentality implicit arsenic the starter.

The retooled enactment was the archetypal measurement successful caller wide manager Mike Borgonzi's program to rebuild the roster. Adding Ward to the premix could kick-start the rebuild if the rookie tin person an power akin to what helium did successful assemblage astatine Miami past twelvemonth erstwhile helium led the Hurricanes to their archetypal 10-win play since 2017.

Ward volition beryllium nether halfway down a portion that present features escaped cause additions Dan Moore Jr. (left tackle) and Kevin Zeitler (right guard). Second-year lineman JC Latham volition power from the near side, wherever helium started 17 games arsenic a rookie, and 2023 first-round prime Peter Skoronski volition beryllium astatine near guard.

The full enactment hasn't worked unneurotic connected the tract yet with starting halfway Lloyd Cushenberry III moving his mode backmost from a torn near Achilles wounded helium sustained successful Week 9 past season. But the feedback from those who person already been successful the huddle with Ward has been positive.

"I deliberation he's a large subordinate and a large prime for the team," Latham said. "He has an immense magnitude of talent, shows up each time acceptable to enactment with the close cognition to clasp himself accountable, and holds himself to a modular that a batch of radical tin larn from."

As a rookie quarterback, it tin beryllium pugnacious to look 10 grown men successful the eyes and marque them recognize who's successful charge. Controlling the huddle comes lone aft earning respect from teammates. Ward's calm assured disposition has been a immense plus successful his aboriginal quality to acceptable the code successful practice.

"Whenever he's talking, helium has a consciousness of assurance that guys tin consciousness and I consciousness that we'll beryllium capable to provender disconnected of vigor from him," Moore said. "One of the hardest things for a backmost is conscionable getting a grasp of the huddle and fluidly accidental the play and retrieve the play to get bid of the huddle arsenic well. I consciousness similar [Ward] has that."

Titans manager Brian Callahan said the astir important happening for a young backmost is to maestro the playcalls portion executing the drawback number successful tune with calling retired the play.

"I deliberation he's done a bully occupation truthful far," Callahan said Wednesday. "Cam understands however to interact with them. He's played capable backmost to recognize however important those guys are and what those relationships mean."

Ward is nary alien to what it takes to endear himself to a caller radical of violative linemen. Before wrapping up his lone play astatine Miami, Ward talented customized diamond chains to his violative linemen past November.

"I would accidental conscionable the biggest happening I bash is conscionable speech to them whether it's successful the locker country oregon erstwhile we get a accidental to conscionable up extracurricular the facility," Ward said. "Not everything got to beryllium astir football, but erstwhile we locomotion into the building, we cognize it's each business."

Ward said helium was excited to enactment with the revamped violative line. He said it's 1 of the astir diversion and mobile violative lines helium has played with and believes the portion volition beryllium a crushed wherefore the Titans triumph games. Ward adjacent went retired of his mode to praise backup halfway Corey Levin, who has been taking snaps portion Cushenberry rehabs.

Ward has a mode of connecting with antithetic types of people. One of his archetypal goals erstwhile helium walked into the installation past period was to larn the names of everyone, including the unit successful the cafeteria and different parts of the gathering whose jobs mightiness different spell unnoticed.

That is simply an hold of what Ward did to impressment the Titans brass during his predraft sojourn successful March. They were blown distant by however helium befriended the unit contempt spending lone 1 time successful the building.

"He's got that benignant of cool, calm assurance and benignant of comes crossed arsenic the aforesaid feline we met successful the predraft meetings and the visits," violative coordinator Nick Holz said Wednesday. "It's authentic, it's who helium is."

Genuine authenticity goes a agelong mode successful earning the spot of caller teammates and coaches. Part of that is being consenting to instrumentality accountability for mistakes. That's precisely what Ward did erstwhile helium and seasoned receiver Van Jefferson weren't connected the aforesaid leafage astir however the wideout came retired of his interruption connected a way during instal period.

Ward walked implicit to Jefferson and ironed it retired earlier they transitioned to different portion of practice. The 2 connected connected the aforesaid way conception for what would person been a archetypal down during 7-on-7 rep aboriginal that practice.

That has been Ward, and it hasn't gone unnoticed.

"We've already got spot successful him," Skoronski said. "That'll lone proceed to physique arsenic we get to bash worldly and get into camp."