Cam Ward addresses Will Levis season-ending injury: 'I really didn't have a reaction'

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis will miss the 2025-26 regular season as he is set to undergo shoulder surgery later this month. This paves the way for No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward to take over as the team’s starting QB.

Levis, a second-round pick by Tennessee in 2023, started 12 games for the franchise last season. Now, he’ll be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Ward has since addressed his fellow QB’s injury after being asked his reaction to hearing the news about his teammate.

“I really didn’t have a reaction. I focus on Cam Ward,” the Titans’ first-round pick said. “He made what’s best for him. Can’t be mad at somebody for doing what’s best for them. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Cam Ward on Will Levi’s’ decision to have season-ending shoulder surgery affecting the Titans QB room pic.twitter.com/EqnlvKlIdw

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“I’m hoping to see him on the field a lot more. He sat with me in OTAs, learning the install of everything. He’s a good football player. When he’s ready and he’s healthy, he’ll have a chance on the field.”

Levis began last season as the Titans’ full-time starting quarterback for the first time in his career. Levis had a rocky start to the season. The Titans went 1-4 in their first five games of the 2024 campaign and Levis threw seven interceptions, compared to just five touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Ward enters the league with massive expectations surrounding him. As the No. 1 overall pick, those expectations are both internal and external. With Levis’ injury, Ward will be expected to perform well from day one — just as he did at all of his previous stops.

In college, Ward finished his single season at Miami having been responsible for 43 touchdowns (39 passing) to go with 4,313 passing yards while finishing with the No. 1 QBR (88.8) in the country. In the 12 games that he played all four quarters, Ward threw for 300 yards or more in 10 of those matchups.

He had a couple of other stops along his college football journey before playing for Mario Cristobal in Coral Gables. He began his career playing for Incarnate Word at the FCS level, where he threw for nearly 7,000 yards and scored 61 touchdowns during first his two seasons there before transferring to Washington State ahead of the 2022 college football season.

Those opportunities appear to have prepared Ward for the spotlight that comes with playing in the NFL. Now with a clear path to being the Titans’ QB1, all signs point toward Ward being the Week 1 starter for Tennessee when they take on the Denver Broncos on the road on Sept. 7.