Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Cam Ward Is CLEAR STARTING QB for Tennessee Titans, Pass Rush Limited Ceiling & Special Teams Boost

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Tennessee Titans have a ton of questions, but one thing we know for sure is that Cam Ward is the starting quarterback. I'll break it down, plus tell you what else I know for sure on today's edition of Locked On Titans. You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans on today's show. We're going to take a look at some things that I know for certain about the Tennessee Titans at this point in the off season on yesterday's show. I took a look at the biggest questions remaining for the Titans at this point in things today. I'm going to tell you what I know for sure, like that Cam Ward is the starting quarterback of this football team. The

Starting point is 00:00:56 ceiling of the Titans pass rush is incredibly low, and this Titan special teams unit will be much improved before we we dive into all of it though, do want to thank you for making Locked On Titans your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. You're not going to beat that anywhere else. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed.

Starting point is 00:01:19 It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday. If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one. On tomorrow's show, I'm going to plan out the rest of the Titan Sea Titan summer going up to week one kickoff and why each step is so important. Next week, it's going to be division rival week.

Starting point is 00:01:41 I'm going to have a position rankings of the AFC South early in the week. I'm going to do a deep dive on each of the division rivals as we go throughout the end of the week. Can't wait to bring all that content to you guys. Maybe the off season for the Titans, but there is no off season here on Locked on Titans. So again, make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. With that being said though, the things that we know, the things that we can be certain about with the Tennessee Titans, there are a ton of them, but one of them and the most important one is that Cam Ward is the starting quarterback. We talked about it earlier in the week. One of the big losers of Titans mandatory mini camp was the narrative that there was an even split or a quarterback competition

Starting point is 00:02:27 between Will Levis and Cam Ward. That is not the case. Cam Ward got significantly more reps with the first team in mandatory mini camp. The Tennessee Titans drafted Cam Ward number one overall and have been gushing about him ever since before they even drafted him. Warren Moon comes out of retirement like the writing is on the wall. Cam Ward is the starting quarterback. We don't have any fake quarterback controversies being drummed up by the media. We don't have any nonsense that we have to factor in. And oh, well, I guess this could know Cam Ward is the team's starting quarterback.

Starting point is 00:03:01 He will be the week one starter barring health and everything like that. But make no mistake about it, Cam Ward is the starter. Now, one thing that we can't be certain of right now that I just want to harken back to questions from yesterday. Will Will Levis be traded? I felt very, very certain of that being the case. I feel less certain now. Obviously, a lot of time, and I think it would be best for the Titans and Will Levis for him to find a new opportunity and a fresh start, but I am less certain about that today than I was a few months ago when we first talked about it, but what I am certain about regarding the quarterback position

Starting point is 00:03:38 is that Cam Ward is the starter, not Will Levis, and there is no quarterback competition taking place, and a real quarterback competition. That's not the case, and we can see it from the rep distribution in mandatory minicamp. When I talked about earlier, it's time for the Titans to actually get serious about preparing for the season, and the first moment where they really had to turn things on, Cam Ward got a ton more reps than any other quarterback, not just Will Wevis. So it's obvious that he is going to be the starter. Now, staying in the offensive realm, you know what else I know for certain about this football team? And there's not, again, there's not a lot of things that we can, you know, rest our hat on at the end

Starting point is 00:04:22 of the day. But one thing that I know for certain is that Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley are dogs. Like, I said on yesterday's show, we have a lot of questions about the rookie pass catchers. We have hope, we have optimism, we have belief, we have faith even that these guys are going to work out, but they're rookies. And it wouldn't be super unrealistic or unlikely for a Tennessee Titans fan, me included, to overhype a rookie who comes nowhere near the type of production that you thought you might get out of them in these excited hyper months, you know what I mean? So they're still rookies. Those may be questions, but for me, I have zero questions about Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley. Like at minimum, at minimum,

Starting point is 00:05:19 the Tennessee Titans have a very good running back and a very good wide receiver. Will I say that either of them are great? Great to me is we're talking top 10. You know what I mean? And Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard aren't top 10 at their position in my opinion. Tony Pollard's probably closer than Calvin Ridley, even though I think Calvin Ridley is the better player, if that makes sense. It may not to you, but to me it does. Either way, it's nice to have just a couple offensive weapons that you know are good enough. Yes, the rest

Starting point is 00:05:50 of the uncertainty is why we can't be positive about how good this team is going to be. But I know that if Cam Ward is a good player, if Cam Ward is a good quarterback and the Tennessee Titans get improved quarterback play from what they got last year with what, 22 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, when the quarterback single-handedly destroyed a couple of games for the Titans that they were winning and should have won, imagine if the Titans beat the Bears,

Starting point is 00:06:22 beat the Jets, and they should have won that Colts game in week six too. That was on Brian Callahan coming out of the bye week. They had to win that game and they lost it. Twenty to seventeen, that's embarrassing. Should have won that game. So, if the quarterback play is improved, and you know already that you have a really good running back,

Starting point is 00:06:48 a really good wide receiver. If you could just get a couple of other pieces to work out, if you could just get a couple of other pieces on the, on the offense as a whole to, maybe they don't hit max capacity of greatness, like this is their ceiling and they hit it, but if they just go past the Mendoza line, you know what I mean? Like if they just are across a good outcome, maybe not elite

Starting point is 00:07:14 outcome, but if they're at a good outcome, Dan Moore, JC Latham, two of the rookie pass catchers, Gunnar Helm and Eleki O'Manner, Chim Dike, Xavier Restrepo, whatever the combination happens to be. If you could just get a couple of those guys to break right, not even all of them have to break right, just a couple to break right, and you get with, and honestly, I'll put Chigga Conquo in this conversation. We know who Chigga Conquo is. We know what Chigga Conquo in this conversation. We know Chigga Conquo is. We know what Chigga Conquo can give you.

Starting point is 00:07:48 So if you have Tony Pollard, you have Calvin Ridley, you have Chigga Conquo, who may not be a pure starting level tight end, but you know what he can be for you in the offense, if you know what you're going to get there and some of the other things go your direction, now you have a chance to be much improved. But we know Cam Ward is going to start and we know for a fact that Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley are good football players. We know that. Now, I talked yesterday about some of the concerns about pass rush, about offensive line. I want to talk about what I do know about both of those units as well though.

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Starting point is 00:09:58 We're looking at what we know, what we can count on, what we are for sure of with the Tennessee Titans at this point in the process. Before we dive into what else I know, do want to thank you for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. But we talked about Cam Ward starting, we talked about Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley, and you could throw Chicka Conkwo in there. I know what I'm going to get from Chicka Conkwo. It may not be to the level of Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard, but you know, we know what

Starting point is 00:10:34 he's going to give you. I think at this point, his ceiling is what it is. But moving forward, I do want to talk about this offensive line again, because I talked about it on yesterday's show, and I said the offensive line is a big question mark. Okay? How much better will this offensive line be? Will Dan Moore be worth the money? Will Lloyd Cushinberry come back right? Is Kevin Zeidler going to be able to last the whole season at 35? Will Peter Skoronsky and J.C. Latham take the leaps and the steps forward that we are all assuming that they are going to take? We cannot know the answer to all those questions. But one thing I did say is the offensive line is going to be better. It's got to be better

Starting point is 00:11:18 than what it was last year. There's just no way around it. Now we don't know how good it is and again yesterday's show I kind of pushed back on, you know, a lot of people are acting like the Tennessee Titans are going to have a really good offensive line. Like, oh, they put the pieces in place. This is going to be a top 10 offensive line. And I'm just like, I don't know about that. But here's what I will say. Both of these things can be true at once. I'm uncertain about the high-end hopes that people have for the offensive line.

Starting point is 00:11:50 But on the flip side of that, last year, the Titans were a bottom five offensive line, right? They were awful again, again, somehow again. And we had these same conversations last year like, oh, the offensive line has to be improved, right? You have J.C. Latham, you have Lloyd Cushman. Mary, they gotta be well, Cushman-Mary gets hurt. Latham struggles at the end of the year, which he talked about is because of his weight and he was too heavy and he was overweight and he struggled at the end of the year. And then we know the right tackle spot

Starting point is 00:12:20 was an outright disaster and then we know that Dylan Raden's at right guard is just okay. So, just in the, again, I am skeptical of the high-end, I guess, predictions that some people are making for what this Tennessee Titans offensive line can be.

Starting point is 00:12:40 I talked about the questions that lead me to my skepticism, but will this Tennessee Titans offensive line be better. I talked about the questions that lead me to my skepticism. But will this Tennessee Titans offensive line be better than last year? Yes, there's no doubt about that. Like there is no doubt just by simple, you know, happenstance. This Tennessee Titans offensive line has to be better. Again, you get average left, the worst outcome for the Titans, average left tackle play from Dan Moore. Well, that's probably not the worst outcome. A little below average tackle play from Dan Moore. Above average guard play from Peter Skronsky.

Starting point is 00:13:23 Average starting center play from Corey Levin if Lloyd Cushionberry is banged up, can't figure it out. Right guard is where things get a little dangerous. Is that gonna be Blake Hantz? Would it be a Jackson Slater? Let's just hope Kevin Zeitler is healthy, even if he's just solid, if he's healthy that'll work. And then J.C. Latham, at minimum, at minimum, is gonna be an average right tackle, at minimum, at minimum, is going to be an average right tackle, at minimum. So that, even the worst case scenario of the Tennessee Titans offensive line would have the pieces necessary to be better than what we saw last year from the Tennessee Titans offensive line. So am I certain about how good the Titans offensive line will be or how much improved it'll be? No, but I am certain that there will be improvement. It will not be as bad as last year.

Starting point is 00:14:09 It can't be, right? It can't be, right? But staying in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball, what do I know? Now, to this point, everything has kind of been positive. Like I know Cam's the starter. I know Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley are good. I know the offensive line will be improved. But what I know about the pass rush is the ceiling is low. There is no version of this. There is not a single outcome. Where the Titans have an incredible pass rush. No way. No way. There's no way. There's no way that the Tennessee Titans turn into one of the best pass rushing teams in the NFL after being what, 30th in sacks, 25th in pressure rate. The personnel is just not good enough. And look, there are pivot points here.

Starting point is 00:15:07 There are absolutely pivot points here. Femi Oladejo, how good is he gonna be? I talked about that at the end of the show yesterday. There are—if Femi Oladejo comes out, and he is Javon Curse 2.0 for real, and he's getting, you know, he's gonna get 15, 16, 17 sacks as a rookie. Even with that. Arden Key is about a seven sack guy and Draymond Jones is about a five to six sack guy. Lorenzo Carter is a zero sack guy. Tavondre Sweat probably get you one or two.

Starting point is 00:15:47 Jeffrey Simmons in a good gear. Eight, nine sacks? We've never seen Jeffrey Simmons be a double-digit sat guy. Eight, nine sacks? You know, I just don't... Even if Femi goes nuts and Draymond Jones is helpful as a versatile rusher, I just don't think the Titans have the talent or the depth to be, again, a top pass rush in the NFL. So to me, what I know is even the best version of the Tennessee Titans pass rush,

Starting point is 00:16:19 even the best version is not going to be one of the best in the league. Like, the Titans have a super low ceiling. the best version is not going to be one of the best in the league. Like the, the Titans have a super low ceiling. They have a very low floor as well. Cause here's the thing. If Femi is not that, if Femi is what I'm expecting, which is an early down rotational player who gets used on pass rush snaps maybe five to ten times a game and he has you know three to five sacks in his rookie year in a rotational role more of an early down edge setter than anything else that's my expectation for Femi

Starting point is 00:17:02 Ola Deshio and if that's what we get, well then that's three to five sacks from Femi. And think about the trickle down effect that that'll have. So now what? Jeffrey Simmons only seven sacks. Tevondre Sweat, one or two again. Arden Key, five, six. Draymond Jones, three to four, Lorenzo Carter zero, you know, Sebastian Joseph day, maybe chips in two, two and a half, something like that. Like, what are we, what are we really talking about? See the floor for the Titans is the worst pass rush in the entire NFL. That's the floor.

Starting point is 00:17:40 And the ceiling, in my opinion is top 20. Maybe they're like the 18th or 17th best pass rush on pressure rate and sacks and stuff like that. Pass rush win rate metrics from ESPN. You know, like we can look at it and see what happens, but I guess you could call me overly skeptical, which that would be fair. But I have a hard time believing that this pass rush, even if Femi does impress in year one, like he would have to be the defensive player of the year. Or rookie defensive player of the year for the Titans pass rush to even be, you know, like top half of the NFL. And I just can't bet on that.

Starting point is 00:18:22 I can't bet on that. So I feel very confident that I know that this pass rush has a low ceiling, even in its best version. But let's talk about some other positive things that I know. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We have talked about the things that I know. Cam Ward's going to start, Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard are good.

Starting point is 00:19:02 The pass rush has a low ceiling. The offensive line will be improved. I talked about the things that I don't know and the biggest questions for the Titans on yesterday's show on tomorrow's show, we're going to look at what the summer plans for the Titans are going to be Cam Ward, the team at large. And then we get into training camp. What comes after that all the way up to week one. But with that being said, do you want to thank you for making

Starting point is 00:19:23 Locked on Titans your first listen for your second listen, check out Locked on NFL Scouting. As Training Camp gets closer and moves are being made, hosts Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino will make you the most informed NFL fan this off season. Find Locked on NFL Scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. So the last couple of things that I know for certain, both positives, but number one, it's Cody Barton is legit. That's literally what I have in my notes. Cody Barton is legit. I hyped up Cody Barton earlier this week or last week, I think at the end of mandatory mini camp week. Excuse me. Hyped him up, and that hype level for me has not gone down at all. I think that Cody Barton is going to be an absolutely incredible piece

Starting point is 00:20:15 in the middle of this defense. I think not only his versatility as a player, way more versatile than Kenneth Murray, he can drop back into coverage a little bit more. He's not just a downhill thumper. I think his leadership and his ability to communicate with his teammates and bring other people along is going to be better than Kenneth Murray. I think one of the big reasons the Titans did everything they could to get Kenneth Murray out of there is not just because he's a liability on the field, particularly in coverage, but I think they weren't satisfied with him being the leader in the middle of their defense.

Starting point is 00:20:48 So Cody Barton gives you leadership improvements. He gives you on-field versatility improvements. And I think that just his impact, not only as a singular player who plays well, but his impact on everyone else on the defense is going to make the Titans much better on the interior of their defense, which they really, really fell off last year, really fell off last year on the interior of that defense. So having Cody Barton as the leader for James Williams, Cedric Gray, Otis Reese, David Benda, like to have Cody Barton be the guy leading that linebacker group, I think it's a super underrated aspect of this Tennessee Titans all season,

Starting point is 00:21:29 and I know for a fact that Cody Barton is going to be legit in the defense. I have no questions about it. There are things that I can find myself being skeptical about. I cannot find a way to be skeptical about Cody Barton in the middle of the defense. He's too solid, too consistent, no matter where he's been, what he's done, where he's gone, doesn't matter. He's gonna have a great impact on the team. I feel very confident in that. And moving on to my last point. The special teams is gonna be so much better.

Starting point is 00:21:56 Like the Titans had, in my opinion, now let me say this. I have not watched every special teams unit in the history of the NFL. Okay. Shocker, right? But the Titans had to, had to have had one of the worst special teams unit of the millennium so far last year. Like it has to be top five, top 10, or should I say bottom five, bottom 10 special teams units last year. They had to, they had to. There's no way that they didn't with the performance they put on week to week and how critically devastating

Starting point is 00:22:32 the special teams blunders were from the punt blocks early to the Lions game, to the lack of return ability. Like Nick Falk was good. Everything else was a disaster. You know, a disaster. You bring in John Fossil, Bones Fossil, the most respected special teams coach in the entire NFL. Okay. You bring him in, you let him bring in some of his players and some of the guys he wants.

Starting point is 00:23:04 I just have full faith. I just have full faith. I just have full confidence. No doubts. Will the Titans be, you know, this is like the offensive line conversation. Will the Titans be one of the best special teams units in the NFL? Maybe. I don't know. That Bones Fossil is that good, folks.

Starting point is 00:23:20 He's that good. He gets it that much. But even if they're not, even if they're not a top five special teams unit, whatever, even if they're not that, uh, I bet they're mightily improved. Like, there's no way the Titan special teams group is not like a top 20 group. There's no way. The coaching is too good. They've added pieces in the mold of what Fossil wants. DK and Restrepo, James Prochet all going out for the returner job. Like they have created real competition at these places and Bones Fossil is going to identify the right talent and get the best out of it.

Starting point is 00:23:58 So things that I know, Cam Ward's the starter, Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley are good players. Things that I know, Cam Ward's the starter, Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley are good players, the pass rush ceiling is super low, the offensive line will be better, Cody Barton is legit, and the special teams units will be better. Let me know what you guys think you know for certain down below, but that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

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Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Cam Ward Is CLEAR STARTING QB for Tennessee Titans, Pass Rush Limited Ceiling & Special Teams Boost

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