Did The Tennessee Titans Lose Faith In Cam Ward? General Manager Refused To Name Him As A Leader

Are the Tennessee Titans losing faith in Cam Ward? General manager Mike Borgonzi did not mention the second-year quarterback as one of the leaders on the team or face of the franchise.

Perhaps it was a challenge or perhaps it was an oversight.

Either way, it does not sound like the Nashville-based NFL organization is willing to put its full trust behind Ward in year two. He did not even get so much as a shoutout.

The Tennessee Titans traded Jeffery Simmons.

Jeffery Simmons told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that he did not have reason to believe he would be traded during the 2026 season. He was traded to the Chicago Bears less than 18 hours later.

Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi spoke about the process during a press conference on Thursday morning. It was not his intention to trade Simmons until he got the call on Wednesday night, even though he has had a lot of general trade discussions with other organizations about the star defensive lineman since he first took over the team on Jan. 17, 2025.

“I got a phone call late last night from a person I’ve known for a while, Ryan Poles, the GM from the Bears. He’s really the only person who came out and said ‘would you accept this?’ You have to take in all the information at that point.”

Borgonzi said that the aforementioned “information” included “where we are as a team” and how to “really sustain success in the future.” Tennessee received a pair of first-round picks in the deal.

It is interesting timing. To move on from a player like Simmons does not reflect well on starting quarterback Cam Ward. If you think you have the right quarterback in place to compete for a Super Bowl within the next few years, you probably wouldn’t want to trade one of the best defensive players in the league. Right?

Mike Borgonzi did not refer to Cam Ward as a leader.

Make of the Jeffery Simmons trade what you will. Mike Borgonzi’s own words (or lack thereof) are even more telling.

The general manager was asked about the players on the team who will replace Simmons’ as a leader. He named Amani Hooker, John Franklin-Myers, Solomon Thomas and Jermaine Johnson.

Given that all of those names are of defensive players, maybe the omission of Cam Ward was not worth noting. However, it was an opportunity for Borgonzi to praise the starting quarterback (that he drafted) and to promote him as a leader. He did not do so.

What Borgonzi said — or didn’t say — next was even more revealing. The general manager was asked about the new face of the franchise now that Simmons is gone. Simmons was the face of the franchise. Borgonzi is not going to disagree!

And yet, he did not name his quarterback, again. Borgonzi did not say that Ward is the face of the franchise. He said that it is an opportunity for “guys to step up.” Hm……….