How did Cam Ward play today? Grading Titans rookie QB's pro debut
Ward played the first two offensive drives in the Titans' preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa and completed five of his eight pass attempts in the game for 67 yards. He threw no touchdowns, no interceptions and did not take a sack.
In such a limited sample size against a Bucs team that kept most of its starters on the bench, it was hard to get a good read on how Ward's skills will translate to the pro level.
USA TODAY Sports made an evaluation anyway, grading out Ward's first couple of offensive possessions as a pro.
Here's how it went:
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Cam Ward grades: Titans rookie QB solid in debut
Ward's pro career got off to an unimpressive start after he took the field for the Titans' first offensive possession on Saturday evening.
Tennessee went three-and-out in a drive that lasted less than one minute of game clock time. Ward's first snap was a handoff to running back Tony Pollard for five yards. His second was an incomplete pass to receiver Van Jefferson. And in Ward's final play of his first drive as a pro, he drifted backwards out of a clean pocket then had to throw the ball away when pressure eventually came.
The Titans went on to punt.
Ward's second drive went far better than the first. His first throw when he returned to the field was also his first NFL completion: a 27-yard completion to lead receiver Calvin Ridley.
The rookie took advantage of his good protection on the play before delivering the strike to Ridley, who had found an open hole in the Buccaneers' zone coverage. The wideout turned upfield for about 10 more yards and into Bucs territory before defenders swarmed him for the tackle.
Ward completed his next three pass attempts – though the first was nixed by an offensive pass interference penalty. The two that counted were both to Ridley again, including one well-thrown ball to beat double coverage as the wideout bolted toward the sideline.
The placement on the throw hit Ridley in motion and prevented him from getting lit up by the safety charging in on a pursuit angle. Though Ward didn't technically give his wideout a chance to turn upfield, he did avoid a dangerous, "hospital ball" play with the throw.
The rest of the drive featured three more attempts and two more completions by the Titans' rookie.
The lone incompletion was Ward's worst throw of the game. He tried to slot a back-shoulder throw in to Elic Ayomanor near the left boundary, but he underthrew it. Buccaneers cornerback Josh Hayes had his eyes on the quarterback and undercut the route, nearly coming away with an interception.
Ward did not appear fazed by his near-pick. He went on to convert both third-down opportunities for his team as Tennessee neared and entered the red zone.
Ward's first conversion was a strong pass to tight end Chig Okonkwo over the middle on a stick route to get 10 yards on third-and-9. His second was a short dump off to newcomer Tyler Lockett, who picked up some yards after catch to get his team to the Buccaneers' 3-yard line. Pollard took care of the rest, rushing for a touchdown two plays later.
In such a small sample size – two drives, eight pass attempts – it's hard to come away with any significant takeaways from Ward's pro debut. It wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't mind-blowing.
A three-and-out to start wasn't great, but leading a 67-yard touchdown drive was. Drifting out of the pocket was a bad habit Ward needs to break, but making well-placed throws to Ridley was a good "habit" to keep building on. The near-interception wasn't awesome, but Ward's ability to flush it and make some successful throws for the rest of the drive was impressive.
Grade: B-
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cam Ward grade: Titans QB has solid pro debut vs Buccaneers
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