The Tennessee Titans believe they have found the quarterback of the future.
Instead of overthinking the NFL Draft back in April and trying to leverage the No. 1 overall pick to move back and acquire more capital, the Titans decided to fill their biggest need with the best possible prospect of the 2025 class.
New general manager Mike Borgonzi — who spent almost two decades working in the Chiefs front office before taking the GM role with the Titans — did his homework, consulted with head coach Brian Callahan and selected former Miami Hurricanes QB Cam Ward.
Almost everyone other than ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had Ward as the clear top quarterback of this year’s class — and with both spring OTA sessions in the books — reports out of Tennessee have been glowing about the Titans new rookie QB.
While Will Levis struggled mightily as the Tennessee QB last year, the Titans have some weapons in place to help Ward find success in his rookie campaign. Calvin Ridley has proven he can still play at a high level at WR and the Titans picked up veteran wideout Tyler Lockett this offseason who has been a quarterback’s best friend throughout his career in Seattle. The Titans also used their fourth-round pick to select Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor, who gives them a big target who can separate downfield and should thrive in the red zone.
It’s also important to note that Ward’s teammate from Miami, Xavier Restrepo, has been turning heads as an undrafted free agent. At this point, nothing is certain but it would be a surprise if he didn’t find a place on the 53-man roster.
In the backfield, Ward has veteran RB Tony Pollard and second-year RB Tyjae Spears, who showed versatility in his rookie campaign in 2024. Spears appeared in all 17 games and accumulated 838 scrimmage yards to rank seventh in franchise history among rookie running backs.
With Brian Callahan’s track record with Joe Burrow, Ward looks to be in a great position to thrive in his rookie season with the Titans.
But even with the weapons listed above, Bleacher Report believes the Titans might make a major trade to add a true No. 1 wideout to the receiving corps, while parting ways with one of theirs that hasn’t met expectations.
With Terry McLaurin currently in a contract dispute with the Commanders, Bleacher Report believes the Titans might attempt to trade former first-round WR Treylon Burks and a couple draft picks to Washington to secure the two-time Pro Bowl WR who is coming off 5-straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards.
As previously mentioned, McLaurin has already proven his worth as an aid to a young quarterback. That should interest the Tennessee Titans, who just used the No. 1 overall pick on Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
Tennessee just finished a two-year stretch during which it tried and failed to make things work with 2023 second-round pick Will Levis. An underwhelming supporting cast was part of the issue, and the Titans’ receiving corps still leaves something to be desired.
A trio of Calvin Ridley, Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett is respectable, but Tennessee doesn’t have a true No. 1 receiver on its roster. Rookie receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor—both drafted on Day 2—are totally unproven.
It’s easy to see how McLaurin could fit into Tennessee’s offense and how he could help Ward during the early stages of his career. With $30.7 million in cap space, The Titans have the cap space needed to make it happen.
And while Ward will bring excitement to Tennessee this season, the Titans probably aren’t jumping into the playoff conversation. They’re likely to again pick high in the draft order, which would make a second-round offer enticing.
Tennessee could also throw in 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks, who has pretty much flopped as a pro. Through three seasons, the Arkansas product has caught 53 passes for 699 yards and a touchdown. At this point, he could probably benefit from a change of scenery.
Acquiring Burks would be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Commanders, who could give the 25-year-old a better QB situation than he’s ever had in the NFL.
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