Cam Ward’s first two preseason appearances of 2026 have left Tennessee Titans fans wanting more.
The young quarterback has shown flashes of his potential, but his overall performances have been inconsistent. With Tennessee making significant moves to improve the offense around him, ESPN analyst Dan Graziano believes expectations are now much higher for Ward.
Cam Ward’s Preseason Form Raises Questions
The Titans spent much of the offseason trying to address the issues that surrounded Ward during his rookie season.
Tennessee added wide receiver Carnell Tate with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency, reuniting him with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The Titans also revamped their receiving group, which struggled with dropped passes last season.
Graziano believes those additions leave Ward with fewer excuses heading into his second year.
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Speaking on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Graziano said: “What this means is the spotlight on Cam Ward in year 2 is going to be different than it was in year 1. The expectations will be higher because there won’t be as many excuses.”
“So, yes, a little bit of alarming performance here in the first two preseason games. Preseason games,” he added. “We don’t know. The other team might be scheming up a defense. You might not be scheming up on offense. We don’t know what we’re looking at exactly. But, if you’re a Titans fan, you would like to see better.”
“If you’re a Titans fan, you would like to see better [from Cam Ward].”@DanGrazianoESPN reacts to Cam Ward’s first few preseason games 🏈 pic.twitter.com/yMoWJTlEof
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 24, 2026
Graziano was careful to point out that preseason results should not be overreacted to. Still, he believes Ward’s early performances are worth monitoring.
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Ward Shows Flashes but Lacks Consistency
Ward’s first preseason outing against the San Francisco 49ers featured an impressive opening drive.
He led a 95-yard scoring march and connected on big plays to Calvin Ridley and Gunnar Helm. However, his performance became less consistent afterward, with several downfield throws sailing over his targets and some checkdowns missing their mark.
The second preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks was quieter.
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Ward completed 8 of 12 passes for 69 yards across three drives and also fumbled once. He took several hits and struggled to consistently push the ball downfield, although he did connect with Tony Pollard on a 33-yard completion.
The numbers are not alarming on their own, especially given the limited nature of preseason reps. But the Titans need to see more consistency from Ward as the regular season gets closer.
In his rookie season, Ward posted an impact score of 61.6, which ranked worst in the league on PFN’s QB Impact Metric.
Brian Daboll and the coaching staff now have a few more weeks to clean up Ward’s footwork, pocket timing, and downfield accuracy. If those issues continue into the regular season, the scrutiny surrounding the former No. 1 overall pick will only intensify.
