Titans rookie QB Cam Ward has a rough outing in 2nd preseason game

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward looked good in his first preseason game. It’s not the end of the world that he took a step back in his second preseason game, but it definitely didn’t go smoothly.

Ward, the first overall pick of this year’s NFL Draft, has the physical tools to make it in the NFL. His arm strength has been obvious. He fits right in on an NFL field and looks mostly comfortable running the offense. But on Friday he misfired on a few passes, which will give the Titans some teaching points.

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Ward got three series against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night, after getting two in the opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. It wasn’t as crisp as last week for Ward. He completed just 2 of 7 passes for 42 yards before his night was done. It’s not unusual for a rookie to have some rough patches in the preseason. Ward had one Friday night.

The Titans got to see how Ward reacted to being backed up near his own end zone to start Friday night’s outing. The Falcons punted at the end of their first possession and downed it at the 6-yard line. He got the offense out of trouble. On second down Ward moved to his right to escape a bit of pressure and patiently waited for Elic Ayomanor to cross the field before hitting him for a nice 35-yard gain.

The drive stalled but it wasn’t all Ward’s fault. On second down he had a great pass downfield to Van Jefferson, but it went off Jefferson’s hands. The throw, plus another incompletion downfield earlier in the drive that didn’t count due to a penalty, showed off Ward’s impressive arm strength. A third down incompletion was Ward’s fault. After a fake handoff he threw quickly and sidearm to Chimere Dike and was way off target. The Titans punted.

Ward had to wait a while for his second series because the Titans’ defense had a pick 6 to give them a 6-0 lead (Tennessee kicker Joey Slye missed the PAT attempt). The rest of his night didn’t produce any highlights.

When Ward got the ball again, the field position wasn’t much better. The Titans started on their own 11-yard line after a Falcons punt. A run, a short completion and a false start penalty left the Titans facing a third-and-13 as the second quarter started. Ward tried Dike over the middle, and it was wide and low for an incompletion. It seemed to be a bit of an issue with his anticipation and where Dike would be on the throw.

The third series started with another inaccurate pass, as Ward threw too high on first down and it landed incomplete. Ward’s third-down pass wasn’t terrible, as he threw a fade to Ayomanor. But it was incomplete. Ayomanor got caught up with the defensive back and couldn’t get to Ward’s pass, which was too long. It was another three-and-out for the Titans. That’s how Ward’s night ended, on a down note.

The mistakes are a reason why the Titans are getting Ward some preseason reps in August. The Falcons are going the other way. They did not play second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in either of their first two preseason games. Kirk Cousins hasn’t played in the preseason either; Easton Stick started both games. The Titans feel the need to get Ward acclimated before the season starts.

Ward’s first preseason game went well. The Titans went three-and-out on his first series, but on the second series he was 5-of-6 for 67 yards and the drive ended with a Tony Pollard touchdown run. Ward looked comfortable in that outing.

Ward wasn’t as good in his second preseason game. It’s rare for a quarterback like C.J. Stroud or Jayden Daniels to practically never have any downswings as a rookie starting from Week 1 on, and Ward is likely to have some slumps. His first regular-season game will be against the Denver Broncos, perhaps the best defense in the NFL, and that won’t be easy.

Ward has already shown he has the skills to make it in the NFL. Now he has to show how he reacts after having a poor game.