NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cameron Ward made his training camp debut Wednesday and took all of the first-team reps.
Ward is firmly in line to start, after the team announced Monday that last year's starter, Will Levis, elected to have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder next week.
This comes after Titans coach Brian Callahan insisted on having a competition for the top spot during OTAs and minicamp, with a rotation that featured Ward, Levis, and free agent acquisitions Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle. The team hasn't announced Ward as its starter, but it's pretty clear the Titans' future rests on the right shoulder of their No.1 overall selection.
Ward didn't seem phased by Levis' surgery or the pressure being on him to get ready for the season.
"I really didn't have a reaction. I'm focused on Cam Ward," Ward said Wednesday. "My dad taught me as soon as I hit college, whether you play good, they're going to talk about you or whether you play bad, they're going to talk about you. Mute everybody. If you're not in this building, I really couldn't care less about your opinion of myself or my teammates."
Ward started camp with completions on his first four reps of 7-on7. The offense worked on the quick passing game with an intense focus on timing. Ward made it a point to get the ball out when he reached the top of his drop so he would be in sync with the receivers' running routes.
A lot of Ward's passes were towards the middle of the field. That's where Ward found success in college. Ward said one of the adjustments he has had to make is getting used to the spacing of the hash marks, which are closer together on an NFL field. But he feels getting the timing down is the primary solution to making a smooth transition.
Callahan categorized Ward's development as a daily process. The second-year coach is excited to see Ward carry over some of the things he learned during the offseason to training camp.
"There's going to be things that we got to correct every day," Callahan said. "And there's going to be things that he's going to do really well every day that we're going to try to continue those things. Every single day I think is going to be an opportunity for development for him, and I'm looking forward to it."