JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Quarterback Cam Ward will have more tests on his injured right shoulder when the Tennessee Titans return home following their season finale.
Interim coach Mike McCoy said he would provide “a better answer down the road鈥� as to the extent of Ward’s injury.
The No. 1 overall pick landed on his throwing shoulder during a 7-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of Sunday’s 41-7 loss at Jacksonville. Linebacker Foye Oluokun hit Ward at the goal line. He was slow getting up and then got checked out inside the team’s medical tent before leaving the field to get X-rays.
He returned to the sideline in the second half wearing a sling on his right arm and shoulder.
鈥淚t stings that he gets hurt in general,” McCoy said. “The way he鈥檚 played all year long, the way he鈥檚 learned and grown as a player, getting better. You don鈥檛 ever want to see anybody get injured. It鈥檚 unfortunate.
“The way we went down there and moved the ball against a really good defense first series and scoring points. It鈥檚 just unfortunate the way he went down.鈥�
The team initially said Ward was questionable to return before ruling him out a few minutes later.
He completed all three of his passes for 52 yards and ran twice for 11 yards. He finished the season with 3,169 yards passing, with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He ran for 159 yards and two scores.
Ward had taken every snap in the team’s first 16 games and had thrown two touchdown passes in four straight games.
Journeyman backup Brandon Allen, a sixth-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2016, replaced Ward on the next possession. He completed 17 of 30 passes for 72 yards, with an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Allen said Ward was 鈥渋n good spirits鈥� after the injury.
鈥淚t’s brutal for him,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know the severity of it or any of that yet, so he鈥檚 in good spirits. I think he鈥檚 optimistic about it, and he鈥檒l be fine coming back.鈥�
Ward has plenty of time to get healthy. He’s obviously the key to the franchise’s future, which will begin with Tennessee hiring a full-time head coach to replace fired Brian Callahan.
The Titans have started the same QB for every game in a season just seven times since the franchise arrived in Tennessee in 1997. Only Chicago and Cleveland have had fewer seasons with three each in that span in the NFL.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that I don鈥檛 take lightly because every time you step on the field you never know when it could be your last down,鈥� Ward said earlier this week. “So I鈥檓 blessed … it鈥檚 God and my O-line that鈥檚 keeping me healthy the entire way and I know they鈥檙e going to keep on doing it.鈥�
Steve McNair started every game for the then-Tennessee Oilers in 1997 and 1998 and again in 2002 for the renamed Titans. Matt Hasselbeck started all 16 games in 2011, and Ryan Tannehill started every game in both 2020 and in 2021 when the NFL expanded to a 17-game regular season.
Ward is the franchise鈥檚 first rookie quarterback to throw for at least 3,000 yards in a season.
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