Cam Ward named team captain for Tennessee Titans ahead of NFL debut

Cam Ward’s rise to the NFL took another step Wednesday when the Tennessee Titans named the former Miami Hurricanes star one of seven team captains for the 2025 season, a distinction voted on by teammates at the club’s Captains Dinner in downtown Nashville. Ward, the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, joins veterans Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, Jeffery Simmons, Amani Hooker, Cody Barton and long snapper Morgan Cox as captains.

It’s a notable signal of trust just 11 days before Ward’s first NFL start. The Titans open the season on Sept. 7 against the Denver Broncos.

Across three preseason games, Ward completed 10 of 19 passes for 145 yards with a 77.9 passer rating, engineering touchdown drives in the opener at Tampa and in last week’s finale against Minnesota. Head coach Brian Callahan praised the rookie’s preparation while cautioning that Week 1 brings a different speed and complexity than preseason snaps.

For Miami fans, the captain’s “C” is a continuation of a remarkable 2024 in orange and green. Ward left UM as the program’s single-season record holder for passing yards (4,313) and touchdowns (39), while becoming the school’s first Heisman finalist since 2002 and the winner of the Davey O’Brien Award.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Titans added Ward’s favorite Miami target, Xavier Restrepo, to their 16-man practice squad after he cleared waivers, keeping a trusted third-down outlet in the building — few pairs in college football were more in sync last fall than Ward and Restrepo.

Captains in Tennessee are chosen by vote. Simmons anchors the defensive line, Hooker the secondary, and Ridley and Pollard set the tone for a reworked offense around a rookie quarterback. Earning a captaincy as a first-year pro suggests Ward's voice already carries in meeting rooms and huddles, which is no small thing for a franchise trying to climb out of a 3–14 season.