Nearly six weeks remain until the draft, but the Titans will be the team that shapes it. While connected to heavy trade-down rumors weeks ago, Tennessee may not be as eager to do so coming out of free agency’s first wave.
The Titans let Mason Rudolph walk and have not added true competition for Will Levis; Brandon Allen profiles more as a pure backup. Rather than competition, a true replacement could be coming in the draft. Momentum about a Titans trade-down move has stalled, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said (during a recent Dan Patrick Show appearance) teams are now expecting them to stay put and draft Cam Ward at No. 1 overall.
Ward’s Titans interviews have gone well thus far, per Fowler, who labels the team “pretty comfortable” with the well-traveled QB prospect. Moving from Incarnate Word to Washington State to Miami, Ward has gained steam during the pre-draft process. He is viewed as having separated from Shedeur Sanders, with the question at QB being who will be the second one chosen.
Before free agency, Ward supporters existed in Tennessee’s building. Considering how poorly Levis’ second season went, it always loomed as a significant risk for the Titans to pass on using a No. 1 pick on a replacement. Ward has not been viewed on the level as Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter as a pure prospect, which also runs the risk of the Titans choosing the wrong year to make their QB investment. While the Titans would miss out on adding a potential impact starter by passing on their choice of those two, another year of Levis does not seem in the cards for the AFC South team.
Talk of Tennessee wanting to transition away from Levis has emerged, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson adds. After trading up to No. 33 for Levis in 2023, the Titans sat Ryan Tannehill for the Kentucky prospect midseason. Levis showed some early promise, but turnovers plagued him during a sophomore setback. Levis’ 27.8 QBR was nearly 11 points worse than the next-closest regular last season, sinking the benched QB’s value during an offseason that brought more front office change.
The GM that drafted Levis (Ran Carthon) is out after just two years, and although Chad Brinker was onboard as assistant GM when the Titans made that trade-up, the new team president obviously is not as closely tied to the passer. New GM Mike Borgonzi will also run this draft for Tennessee, which is attempting to find stability after a turbulent few years.
While trade-up calls have emerged, the quarterback market not yet crystalizing — thanks largely to Aaron Rodgers‘ delay — figures to stall at least one team. The Giants were linked to Ward early and have been mentioned as targeting the top pick, but Fowler points to that being a less likely move now that the Titans appear closer to staying put and taking the QB at 1.
Daniel Jeremiah’s third NFL.com mock draft for this year pegs Ward to the Titans at 1, while Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest offering does as well. Ward will follow Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix in seeing a transfer ignite his draft stock. He has already met with the Titans at the Combine and on a “30” visit. It will be unlikely if Tennessee’s decision this year will be as anticlimactic as Chicago’s Caleb Williams call in 2024 was, but rumors are circulating early about Ward being Tennessee’s next QB solution.