Titans head coach Brian Callahan was part of a significant turnaround in Cincinnati when he was on the Bengals staff, so he knows what it looks like when a team starts to turn the corner from the bottom of the pack to becoming a contender.
Picking quarterback Cam Ward first overall is a big piece of the Titans’ bid to make that move, just as it was when the Bengals drafted Joe Burrow, and Callahan made it clear at a Monday press conference that he thinks the team is in better shape than it was at this time last year. Callahan was just as clear that those feelings aren’t going to be worth much if the team can’t come through on the field.
“Someone’s got to step up and make the plays,” Callahan said. “I feel good about the group of guys we have going into Denver. I like the work the we put in, but certainly we’ve got some unproven players and young players that haven’t done it yet. But I like where those guys are at and we’re going to use anybody that’s up on game day. They’re all gonna have roles. We’re gonna make sure that they’re in the right spots to have success. We’re a team that’s in prove-it mode right now. All the things we feel good about, we’re gonna have to go do and show it on game day.”
The Broncos took the kind of step forward in 2024 that the Titans would like to take this season, which should make Week 1 a good test of how likely the Titans are to provide the proof that Callahan is looking for this fall.
