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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Tennessee Titans made one of the biggest trades of the 2026 NFL season on Thursday, dealing four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears for two first-round picks and a fourth-round selection. Just like that, Chicago gets one of the best players in football as they chase their first Super Bowl since 1985, while Tennessee acquires more draft capital as they rebuild for the future.
However, the move has also raised questions about what's going to happen with Cam Ward. Ward has struggled during his second NFL season, and with the Titans sitting at 1-6, some have wondered whether they could explore other options at quarterback before the trade deadline on Nov. 10.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter addressed the speculation on Thursday's episode of "NFL Live."
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"The Tennessee Titans continue to stand squarely behind Cam Ward, and they still believe in him," Schefter said. "Now that always could change, of course. But I think they think that he's had three different head coaches. He's had three different offensive coordinators. He's a season and a half through his NFL career. And they believe he deserves the time he needs to develop into the quarterback that they still think he will be. They are not thinking quarterback right now. Could that change? Sure, but that's not their thinking today."
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Ward's second season in Tennessee hasn't gone according to plan. Through seven games, he's completed just 129 of 208 passes (62%) for 1,179 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions, along with 71 rushing yards. He's also taken 11 sacks and, once again, has one of the worst passer ratings in the league at 73.8, even worse than the 80.2 rating he posted in his disastrous rookie season.
The team went all in to bring in more talent in the offseason, including top rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate and top free agent receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, and hired respected offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. But the new weapons, Daboll's system, or the reset in culture under new head coach Robert Saleh still hasn't helped Ward look any better.
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It makes sense that the Titans aren't in the market to trade for a quarterback. Benching Ward for a veteran at this stage of his career could be incredibly damaging to the 24-year-old's confidence. But if he can't turn things around soon, it could force Tennessee into a very difficult decision come draft season.
The Titans now have two first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft and two first-round picks in 2028 as well. That's put them in a prime position to get the top quarterback prospect available in either class if they want to, with players like Darian Mensah, Dante Moore, Arch Manning, Trinidad Chambliss, Julian Sayin, and CJ Carr all potentially available.
The Simmons trade doesn't necessarily signal that Tennessee has given up completely on Ward, but it does give the team more options if he continues to struggle.
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