Cam Ward Benching Addressed by Robert Saleh After Titans Drop to 0-5 With Texans Loss

Things look rather bleak for the 0-5 Tennessee Titans following Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Houston Texans, but head coach Robert Saleh isn't taking the drastic step of benching quarterback Cam Ward.

"He's our starter," Saleh told reporters after the loss.

That may be the case, but he struggled again Sunday while going 23-of-36 for 170 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. The offense failed to find the end zone, and he failed to reach the 200-yard mark through the air for the fourth time in five games.

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Ward also has three touchdown passes to three interceptions on the season.

To say this is not what the Titans expected in year two after selecting Ward with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft would be an understatement. Yes, there is a natural adjustment period in the NFL for any young player, and the Miami product has certainly experienced that.

But he was also the No. 1 overall pick for a reason.

Tennessee surely envisioned him as the franchise cornerstone for the next decade-plus when it made the pick, but Saleh is instead being asked whether Ward will even be the starter during the sixth game of his second season.

It's not as if the Titans have some dominant backup quarterback either in Mitchell Trubisky.

Trubisky failed to live up to expectations as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, and the Chicago Bears eventually moved on at the quarterback position. He is now a backup in Tennessee and wouldn't exactly give the AFC South team much hope heading into the future at 32 years old.

For now, the Titans will stick with Ward as they try to put the early struggles behind them for the rest of the 2026 campaign. But the quarterback position will be a topic of discussion if the struggles continue during the ensuing offseason.