Incumbent starter Will Levis entered camp as the team's second quarterback, offering the Titans a reasonable fallback should Ward struggle in camp or early in the season. However, on Monday, the team announced that Levis would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.

Throughout the offseason, the Titans were very intentional in how they curated Cam Ward’s acclimation process. His development was assessed through a daily lens — not measured by how close he was to starting or being a franchise quarterback.