The Tennessee Titans drafted quarterback Cam Ward at No. 1 overall in 2025 and threw him out there without a true No. 1 wide receiver as a rookie.
Ward showed flashes of why he was the No. 1 overall pick — elusiveness in the pocket and big-play ability — but there was only so much he could do with the infrastructure around him, so the Titans finished at 3-14 and earned the fourth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Titans were expected to pick a defensive game-wrecker at No. 4 overall, given it was the first pick of newly hired head coach Robert Saleh’s tenure in Tennessee. But they decided to help Ward and selected former Ohio State star receiver Carnell Tate.
Ward is just one year removed from shouldering the pressure placed at Tate’s feet now, and he isn’t expecting Tate to turn the tide for the Titans by himself. He revealed at this week’s voluntary OTAs that he’s lost 10 pounds this offseason.
“I’m trying to get a little bit leaner, and then just trying to stay durable for a long season,” Ward told reporters. “I just continue to watch my diet, continue to have more cardio, continue to just work on my body.”
When asked what he changed specifically, Ward said, “It’s really watching the calorie limit, watching the amount of protein and carbs I need to put in, and then what is best for my body and how I feel.”
According to Titans reporter Jim Wyatt, Ward feels that playing at a lighter weight will help “with durability, being faster, getting up in the pocket, and then just trying to play at my speed and not no one else’s speed.”
The Titans are one of five teams without a primetime game in 2026, so Saleh’s squad will have a chance to find their footing without the world watching. Saleh just arrived, but the clock is ticking in Nashville, as the Titans haven’t reached the playoffs in four seasons.