Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper believes Cam Ward can turn the Tennessee Titans into play-off contenders in the National Football League (NFL).
The Titans last progressed to the play-offs in 2021 and have subsequently posted a 16-35 record in the NFL over the past three seasons.
After impressing in college football, the Titans selected Ward first overall in the NFL draft earlier this year and have high hopes for him.
In a recent interview with Betway, Culpepper said he was impressed with Ward and has backed him to become a key player for the Titans this season.
“He’s a rookie, he’s going to have his bumps and bruises, but he’s in the learning process and I know he wants to win,” Culpepper said.
“I was very impressed with him in college and I’ve seen some of the highlights of him throwing. He has a great touch on the ball and I’m expecting him to do great things as long as he can stay healthy.
“I think the Titans are going to have a decent year. Keeping him healthy is the key because he can make every throw, he’s a very good athlete and he can make plays with his feet as well.
“By my evaluation, he’s probably the best quarterback coming out this season as a rookie.”
Despite Culpepper’s bullishness about Ward, his NFL debut did not go to plan as the Titans were defeated 20-12 by the Denver Broncos last weekend.
However, Ward undoubtedly showed plenty of promise. He completed 12 of 28 pass attempts for 112 yards against a Broncos secondary that features cornerback Pat Surtain II.
While the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is a tough opponent, Ward demonstrated that he has the ability to cause problems for players at that level.
Head coach Brian Callahan praised Ward after the game, highlighting his ability to recognise when the Broncos had a maximum pressure blitz and making the necessary adjustments.
"I was really pleased with a lot of things that Cam did in the game," Callahan said. "The operation and handling of the environment and his poise was really impressive.
"There's an understanding, too, that when you check plays at quarterback, it's not necessarily always trying to check for the big one.
"We're building that, and I think that's one of Cam's superpowers - that's one of the weapons that's going to make him a really good player in this league.
“His ability to operate at the line of scrimmage and manipulate the offense the way he sees fit."
Things are unlikely to get any easier for Ward in his second NFL outing, as the Titans welcome the Los Angeles Rams to the Nissan Stadium.
The Rams restricted the Houston Texans to three field goals in their 14-9 victory on the opening weekend, and kept them off the scoreboard in the second half.
They made life extremely difficult for Texans’ quarterback CJ Stroud, sacking him three times during the game. Ward is guaranteed to be targeted this weekend.
He will be desperate for his teammates to offer him more protection, and for the wide receivers to be more efficient when he gets the ball to them.
Ward believes the Titans will improve as the players become more familiar with his style, and is confident they can start putting points on the board.
"We have to want it more for ourselves, I think," Ward said. "The more that we continue to gain that trust on and off the field, we're going to come up with some wins."
