What Does Brian Callahan’s Firing Mean for Cam Ward’s Development with Titans?

Cam Ward didn’t have much stability in his college football days. The No. 1 pick had three different offensive playcallers in his last three seasons at Washington State (2022-23) and Miami (2024). That’s on top of the challenges acclimating to different coaching staffs and teammates at three programs in a five-year span. 

So in August, when asked about what it could mean for him to finally have stability in the NFL, the Titans rookie quarterback said it would "unlock everything."

"You see the best quarterbacks out there," Ward said during training camp. "Tom Brady? He had stability. Lamar [Jackson]? He had stability. Pat [Mahomes]? He had stability. I just think that a lot of guys who have stability in the NFL can succeed at a faster rate, but can also succeed long term. I just think that’s what we need in Tennessee."

That's not what he's getting in Tennessee — at least not for the time being. 

The franchise on Monday announced that it had fired coach Brian Callahan after a 1-5 start to the season. Senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy has been tabbed as the interim coach. 

The move isn’t shocking to anyone. The writing had been on the wall for weeks. The Titans’ fortunes two weeks ago in Arizona, where they snapped a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season, didn’t overshadow the persistent slow starts and the conservative playcalling and the situational coaching gaffes that defined Callahan’s tenure. In 23 games, he went 4-19. 

But Callahan’s firing raises questions about Ward’s development — and in turn, the future of the franchise. 

"While we are committed to a patient and strategic plan to build a sustainable, winning football program, we have not demonstrated sufficient growth," Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said in a statement, in part. "Our players, fans and community deserve a football team that achieves a standard we are not currently meeting, and we are committed to making the hard decisions necessary to reach and maintain that standard."

Continuity for continuity’s sake wouldn’t have been a strong enough justification to keep Callahan with Ward. And the rookie struggled mightily under his now former coach. A game-winning drive and a few "wow" throws aside, the No. 1 pick has been one of the worst quarterbacks in football this season. He ranks last in completion rate (55.0%), second to last in passer rating (67.3) and third to last in EPA per dropback among the 34 qualified quarterbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. 

But less than halfway into Ward’s rookie year, the Titans are already falling short on the stability and continuity that young quarterbacks need to be successful for the long haul.  

The last four quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall have had a coaching change midseason in their rookie year — Trevor Lawrence (2021), Bryce Young (2023), Caleb Williams (2024) and now Ward. The verdict is still out on the latter two, but Lawrence and Young have come nowhere close to living up to expectations. 

And that’s the fear in Tennessee. The Titans can’t afford for Ward not to pan out. If he doesn't become who they hoped, it would set back a franchise that’s already been rebuilding (poorly) for multiple seasons — back at least another three years. 

Beyond X’s and O’s brilliance, the Titans' next coach must be someone who has a reputation for establishing a strong culture. 

That’s where stability begins for Ward and the franchise.  

"It’s not really pressure I feel, but I know I have to be stability. I’m the one who calls the play every time we’re in the huddle," Ward said in August. "I’m who everybody looks at in the huddle when we need an explosive play, when we need motivation. It comes with the territory. I want the territory of being an NFL quarterback."

It's just that the Titans haven’t proven they can provide him with the support to be a legitimate one. 

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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