It’s all about that mental edge now. During the NFL combine this year, Cam Ward talked about the hard work and his tough journey. It made many people hail him as a true winner, who overcame adversities to reach where he is. But there is another factor to it. Some may take it as a sign to cover up any gaps in his skills and performance. Nah! It ain’t happening anymore. On March 24, Cam Ward threw the ball during the University of Miami’s Pro Day at Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility in Miami, Florida. It was great enough to excite the Titans’ President Burke Nihill and the GM Mike Borgonzi.

During the drill, the Miami QB turned around and threw the long ball. He then said, “I am solidifying it today,” to the Titans executives standing on the sidelines. Well, that made them laugh. But was it funny? It wasn’t.

These 4 words (I am solidifying it) carry a huge message. He wants to enter the league as the top pick in the draft. And also wants to get drafted earlier than Shedeur Sanders mainly. There’s a pride in being the first QB draftee. The Titans may make the choice, now that they have seen his skills close enough.

The Titans hold the first pick in the 2025 draft. But the rumor mills claim they might exchange it with the NY Giants. So Cam Ward would like them to hold on to their pick and draft him first. He added, “I know it’s slowly approaching. I’m just excited to see where I’m gonna end up so I can finally learn the playbook,” displaying his excitement about the process.

The excitement over the young blood is high. But the veterans are slowly getting replaced. They want success.

Titans shuffle their roster: Folk out, Slye in

While the Titans prepare for the draft, they have already brought in a replacement for their kicker Nick Folk. That has also excited many fans. And even for that, they have walked the same path. Two seasons ago, in 2023, they grabbed Folk from the Patriots. He had the best seasons of his 17-year career, with a 96.7% field goal success rate in 2023 and 95.5% in 2024.

He even topped the league in both years. However, the Titans kept an eye on his age. He is 40 years old. So, they went out again and signed the Patriots kicker, Joey Slye. In 6 years, Slye has an overall 81.7% FG scoring rate, with an 89.6% extra point conversion.

Compared to Nick Folk’s 84.3% career FG rate and 96.8% extra point scoring rate, it’s hard to explain the trade. However, Cam Ward and other draftees would have liked Folk to stay. He would have told them exciting stories. But it’s a part of the game. The older talent has to step aside for the younger ones to fill their players.