Cam Ward went No. 1 overall to Tennessee in the 2025 draft and started all 17 games as a rookie, throwing for 3,169 yards and 15 touchdowns. So a shaky preseason opener isn't cause for panic — but it's still worth watching, especially with how the Titans lined up their receivers around him.
It was Calvin Ridley (X) and Carnell Tate (Z) in 2-WR sets over Wan'Dale Robinson in the Titans first drive. Ridley stopped playing afterwards, and the team rotated everyone around after.
That's the receiver room detail that stands out here. Wan'Dale Robinson was TnnesseeE's leading pass-catcher last year, but on the Titans' first drive it was veteran Calvin Ridley (X) and rookie Carnell Tate (Z) getting the two-receiver reps instead, according to Hayden Winks of PFF. Ridley — who's been mentoring Tate throughout camp — then came off the field, and the rotation opened up from there.
Tate, the No. 4 overall pick out of Ohio State, has already been turning heads in camp with one-handed grabs and touchdown catches, and Ward has talked up his rookie's ball skills. Getting early run with Ridley ahead of Robinson isn't nothing, even in a preseason opener where rotations get juggled constantly.
Ward's night included a shaky sequence of misfires that had fans reacting in real time.
As for Ward himself, it wasn't a good showing. Winks counted 3 to 5 missed underneath throws — the kind of layup completions that should be automatic — depending on how strict you want to grade it, plus a dropped interception that could've gone the other way. "Very tough game," was his blunt summary.
Preseason openers are notoriously ugly for everyone involved — timing is off, starters play limited snaps, and stat lines rarely mean much. But for a No. 1 overall pick entering Year 2 who's supposed to be taking a leap, a rough night against backups is the kind of thing that gets magnified, especially with fans already reacting to it in real time.
None of this changes the plan in Tennessee — Ward is the guy, full stop. But the receiver rotation is worth tracking as camp rolls on. If Ridley and Tate keep getting first-drive run over Robinson, that's a real signal about how the pecking order is shaping up heading into the regular season.