Cam Ward’s second preseason offering was a reality check.
The No.1 pick in this year’s NFL draft struggled along with the rest of the Tennessee Titans‘ first-team offence against the Atlanta Falcons.
Ward completed only 2-of-7 pass attempts for 42 yards against the Falcons in Tennessee’s 23-20 win.
Playing without No.1 wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Tony Pollard, Ward and the Titans’ offence produced only 55 net yards, no offensive points and one first down in 11 plays.
By the time he left the field for Brandon Allen, Ward finished with no touchdowns, no turnovers and no sacks.
Ward’s best throw came when he lofted a second-and-long spiral with precise arc to Van Jefferson.
It was a textbook play, but despite the near-perfect throw, Jefferson dropped the ball.
“That ball he threw that got dropped was an unbelievable throw,” Titans head coach Brian Callahan told reporters.
Fans were also similarly stunned by Ward’s throw.
“This is outrageous from Cam Ward, perfect placement,” one fan said on X.
“He looks fantastic,” another said.
However, amid Ward’s lacklustre statistical performance, not everyone was left impressed by the rookie.
“Seems petty standard,” one fan said about Ward’s throw.
“Cam Ward out here struggling,” another wrote about Ward’s performance.
“Far from ideal preseason for the first-overall pick,” one wrote.
Importantly for Ward, Titans head coach Callahan is happy with his performance
“He’s showing all the things that we need to see from an operations standpoint,” he said.
Callahan couldn’t fully assess Ward’s night without mentioning the early penalties.
“That’s not really on him,” Callahan said.
“That’s one of those things where we need to do better around him.”
For Ward, he was just happy to play ahead of the looming NFL season.
“That’s just more reps for me,” he said after the game.
“I’d probably say the biggest thing I emphasize is making it hard on myself in practice for when I have a real rush coming at me. I think over time I’ll continue to get better every week.”