NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In just two practices with the Tennessee Titans, wide receiver Elic Ayomanor is already bracing for change with Cam Ward, his new quarterback. The No. 1 pick, Ayomanor said, gets the ball out “really fast” — so fast that he’s determined he just needs to be ready to catch it. Otherwise, as the receiver, he’s in the wrong.
“You know that he’s going to be on time every time,” explained Ayomanor, a fourth-round rookie from Stanford. “If you’re late, you’re late. Because he’s not going to be late.”
Ward showcased the zip and accuracy of his passes at Titans rookie minicamp Saturday. With no 7-on-7 action or team periods — a byproduct of coach Brian Callahan’s orientation-style approach for integrating rookies into the team — Ward spent the day working through individual drills and building rapport with the rookie pass catchers, including Ayomanor and fellow fourth-round picks Chimere Dike and Gunnar Helm.
The Titans are starting at “square one” with Ward, according to Callahan. The former Miami star brings franchise quarterback expectations, but Tennessee is not approaching his acclimation process that way. He’s had the playbook since he was drafted. But like all their rookies, the Titans want Ward to start small, focus on daily improvement and learn the full operation — from the install and the huddle to the meeting room. The worry is the day’s practice, not September.
Callahan isn’t thrusting leadership expectations on Ward, either.
“We’re not asking him to do anything outside of what he’d normally do,” Callahan said, “and I think that personality will start to show as he moves forward and gets more comfortable and understands more. Obviously, he has to worry about himself first. He’s got to make sure he knows what to do, how to do it.
“The leadership thing comes naturally,” he added. “Those things show up organically because you’re around players more and you get more comfortable and you learn people’s personalities. I don’t put too much pressure on him to do that. I’m more concerned with him making sure he knows what to do and how to do it. From there, that stuff grows.”
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What is Ward focusing on? Maintaining his base inside the pocket. Feeling the pocket. Knowing how deep to get in his drops. Limiting unnecessary shuffling. The Titans’ route concepts are similar to what he had at Miami, but there are differences in the footwork he’s learning to grasp. He received pointers from quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree between reps Saturday.
Ward admitted that he’s sometimes looking ahead in the playbook, but the Titans are rooting him in the present install.
“They’re not really pushing everything on me at once,” he said. “But I’ll continue to look ahead, continue to prepare the way that I know how to prepare.”
Like Ayomanor, Helm and Dike have gotten strong first impressions of Ward.
They praised his leadership. They raved about his presence.
“He’s exactly what people think he is,” Dike said. “He just does things the right way. He comes in the building early. … He has that confidence. He knows the work he puts in and what he’s capable of.
“At the same time,” he continued, “he knows he has to continue to work hard to improve, and I think that rubs off on everything else.”
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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