Cam Ward defines what Titans culture should be, traits they need in next coach

4 days ago 2

Cam Ward says he learned three lessons from his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans: The first is good advice for every quarterback; the second is bad advice for every quarterback who isn't named Cam Ward; and the third is a good window into what the Titans' future needs to look like.

So, here they go:

Lesson 1: When attempting a quarterback sneak, get your helmet down. Too high, you get popped.
Lesson 2: You know that thing people always say about how quarterbacks should never throw back into the middle of the field late in a read? Not true, says Ward. Totally doable.
Lesson 3: In order to be a great football player, you really have to love football. And there's a difference between loving football and really loving football.

"It doesn’t matter what you do outside the building. No one knows what you do outside the building," Ward said. "But when you’re in the building, how do you handle yourself? How you watch film. How you be around your teammates, how you interact with people across the building. It goes a long way. That’s what I’m excited for. The building’s changing. Everyone’s changing. I’m just glad that I can be a part of it."

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Change is due. The Titans are 12-39 the past three seasons. For the second year in a row, they are tied for the worst record in the NFL. Whatever the culture had been in the building, the effort to craft it hadn't been worthwhile. There has been a lot more losing than winning in Nashville, and for the fourth year in a row, there has been a reckoning in the form of firings and roster overhaul.

So now the Titans are in coaching search mode for the second time in three years, this time with general manager Mike Borgonzi taking the lead. And Ward has said he'd like to be involved in the process in some capacity.

Clarifying those statements on Jan. 5, right after cleaning out his locker to start the offseason, Ward said the players are craving a coach who can hold the locker room accountable, who will listen to them, respect his players' bodies and do what's best for the organization as a whole.

The players in the Titans' locker room believe the players in the locker room are the answer. In this sense, change means growth, not reinvention.

Consider the rising sophomore class. Ward is positioned as the centerpiece of the Titans' future. Pass catchers Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor and Gunnar Helm are the three most productive receivers under contract for 2026.

When Kevin Winston Jr. gets healthy, he projects as a starting safety based on the returning roster. Same goes for Oluwafemi Oladejo. Heck, Marcus Harris is one of only two cornerbacks under contract for 2026. The other is L'Jarius Sneed, who has played in fewer games in two years with the Titans after signing a massive contract than Harris has in one.

Players, coaches and executives all raved about the value of the Titans' rookie class as soon as it arrived in Nashville. Its growth essentially has been the only thing worth monitoring through the slog of loss after loss. And as interim coach Mike McCoy points out, the goal was for the Titans to play their best football in December heading into January. They did, primarily thanks to contributions by young players.

That's good.

But the Titans still won three games and lost 14.

Having a "promising rookie class" stops being a nice narrative right about now. It's time for promise to mutate into results.

"We obviously did a lot of good things as a group this year, I feel like," Dike said. "We have a lot of potential. We have to build on it. That starts with taking some time to regroup after a long season and getting back to work."

"This class, we knew coming in what to expect and what we had to do for this year," Winston said. "Obviously, it wasn't how we wanted it to be, but we already had the expectations of we were ready to come in . . . I'm excited for this rookie class to be ready to grow and be able to do big things next year."

The fair question then is how do these rookies know any different? By definition, they've never experienced anything else. This is the only NFL culture they've been part of. Their team just finished tied for the NFL's worst record. And yet . . .

Ward has a pretty solid answer for this paradox.

It's not about some undefinable culture. It's about a mentality that ends up defining everything else.

"The culture should be really a mindset in: ‘It doesn’t matter who we play. It doesn’t matter how you’re feeling. The goal is to win every game,’ " Ward said. "No matter how you get there. No matter what you have to do before the game or after the game. The goal is to win. Once we have that mindset each and every day . . . everything else will handle itself."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: As Titans search for coach and culture, Cam Ward has ideas for both

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