The Tennessee Titans made quarterback Cam Ward the No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft.
Tyler Shough had to wait until the second round and the 40th overall pick before the New Orleans Saints made him the third quarterback drafted. In between, the New York Giants used the 25th pick to land Jaxson Dart.
The gap between Ward and Shough’s performances as rookies hasn’t been as big as that in the draft. Next Sunday, they will be closer than ever as they face off as professionals for the first time when the Saints visit the Titans in Nashville.
Ward has been the Titans’ starter since day one – going 1-11 through November to a 2-1 record in December that showcased the development of both the player and his team.
Shough was beaten by second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler in a close competition during training camp. The Saints (5-10) lost seven of eight games before Shough replaced Rattler as starter. New Orleans went 4-3 behind Shough and built a three-game winning streak.
It was common knowledge well before the draft that Ward would be the top pick, but Shough’s prospects were much less certain. He was unusually old (25) for a draft prospect and started 32 of the 42 games he appeared in during a seven-year college career split between three schools.
“My whole thought process (leading up to the draft),” Shough said, “was I’m going to have fun throughout and be myself, show what I can do and go from there. I think it’ll all work out.
“I think you can’t really get caught up in all the pre-draft rankings. Everything changes. (Teams’) job is to evaluate and your job is to go out there and perform and execute.”
Shough completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 1,792 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating is 86.5.
Ward completed 60.2% of his passes for a franchise-record 2,866 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His passer rating is 79.1, but he’s delivered his first 100-plus ratings in the last two games, including a season-high 122.3 in Sunday’s 26-9 win over Kansas City. He has scored his only touchdown pass effort in each of the last three games.
“I just have to be consistent,” Ward said. “I have to do what I have to do to win football games, put my teammates in a good situation to help them and really continue to play clean football on offense like we have been doing.”
Ward was the headliner of a recruit class that is leading a youth movement in Tennessee. But receiver Chimere Dike, a fourth-round pick, stood out by leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (151.3 per game) to earn a starting spot in the Pro Bowl.
“You see what guys can do early,” Ward said of the Titans immediately giving rookies playing time. “You get a sense of their first year, what they’re really good at and what we need to work on as well.”
One rookie who won’t contribute over the past two games is cornerback Marcus Harris, the sixth-round pick who interim head coach Mike McCoy said won’t play again this season due to a knee injury suffered against the Chiefs. Harris was the only Titan to miss Wednesday’s practice.
Three Saints starters — running back Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle), guard Cesar Ruiz (ankle) and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (knee) — did not practice Wednesday. New Orleans coach Kellen Moore said Bresee won’t play against the Titans.
–Field level media
