Tennessee Titans believe Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward are 'worthy.' How will they make QB choice?
Callahan's Titans have a need at quarterback and the No. 1 pick in April's 2025 NFL Draft. Ward ― the big-armed, self-starting passer out of Miami ― and Sanders ― the hyper-accurate and anticipatory son of a Pro Football Hall of Famer ― are the top quarterback prospects in the class. So it's hardly a surprise that Callahan spent more than half of his time in front of media Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine discussing Ward, Sanders and the quarterback class as a whole, even if his evaluations are essentially the same as they were after he first met Sanders as the East-West Shrine Bowl.
"They're both good players. I think they've earned the right to be in the conversations they're in," Callahan said. "As far as where I see them and how I stack them, that's for me. But I do think they're worthy of those conversations."
ESTES: What are Tennessee Titans doing with No. 1 pick? For now, keeping the NFL guessing
Will Levis is the only quarterback the Titans have under contract for 2025 and beyond. As GM Mike Borgonzi says, the Titans have to add quarterbacks this offseason full stop, whether that means via the draft, via free agency or both.
Preferably, Borgonzi says, both.
"The places I've been, we've always had older quarterbacks mentor the younger quarterback," Borgonzi said. "It's almost like another coach in the room for them to teach them how to be a pro. Teach them all the little things about protection and how to study opponents. That would probably be a priority for us if we end up drafting a quarterback."
Borgonzi has options aplenty as far as veteran passers go. There's a world where Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, Justin Fields, Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Jameis Winston, Jimmy Garoppolo and Joe Flacco all change teams this offseason. This gives Borgonzi and Callahan more than their share of ways to draft a quarterback and develop him, play him immediately or let him compete.
So the Titans are doing their diligence. Borgonzi says he believes Sanders' arm strength isn't an issue and that his skills as an anticipator more than make up for whatever physical shortcomings he might have. Callahan says he still values decision making, timing and accuracy above all other traits, but he won't pass on a superior talent for the sake of a scheme fit, a sentiment that has to sound good to Ward's supporters.
Sanders isn't expected to throw during on-field quarterback workouts Saturday, and Ward hasn't made a declaration either way. Callahan said he understands why top prospects would make that decision, but if he had his way he'd like to see them throw. Still, he's looking forward to using the official meetings this week to get to know Ward and Sanders beyond their tape, and to see if the way they process the game matches up with what Callahan's seen on film.
Callahan stresses the idea that the Titans don't have to have a preference until April, so they won't rush the process. There's so much scrutiny that goes into making a decision like this, and Callahan admits that some of it has to be self-scrutiny. Coaches, he says, are sometimes a little too quick to overlook flaws because they can be overconfident about being able to fix them.
If the Titans end up picking a quarterback at the top of the draft, they can't only be confident in his strengths. They have to be confident in all the rest.
"You can't fix every issue every player has," Callahan said. "But are there things you can work with? Whatever it is you think you can fix, can you deal with it if you can't fix it to the way you need to? That's a tricky proposition when you're talking about fixing players. You've got to guard against the overconfidence that a coach can have sometimes."
MOCK DRAFT: Tennessee Titans 7-round NFL mock draft: Calling all trade partners and hulking linemen
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans unpack QB plans, from free agents to Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward
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