Robert Saleh joined the Tennessee Titans after four seasons of head coaching experience (specifically serving for three full seasons and a portion of a fourth) representing the New York Jets (2021-2024). Yet, according to Jared Stillman, who covers Nashville sports as a digital radio host, Saleh’s stint in Tennessee might be short-lived because of their quarterback Cam Ward.
“Cam Ward has already gotten one coach fired,” Stillman said on his YouTube channel. “I promise you, this general manager is absolutely on the hot seat, and he is truly on the hot seat because of the way Cam has played. And Robert Saleh in this situation could easily be one-and-done if this team doesn’t show signs of improvement because the reason they hired him was his grand plan for Cam Ward.
“And I also think that if he fires the general manager and fires the quarterback this time, they’re going to want the coach fired too. And I don’t think Robert Saleh is popular enough the way, say, a Mike Vrabel was. I don’t think he’s popular enough to be able to survive it.”
Cam Ward was the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Coming off 18,137 passing yards and 158 touchdowns in his collegiate career, the Titans saw Ward as their next franchise quarterback. Hence, without even a competition, the 24-year-old landed the QB1 job.
But the output didn’t come as per the franchise’s expectations. Ward wrapped up the season with a 3-14 record while posting 3,169 passing yards and 15 TDs. However, early in the 2025 season, the lack of development and growth around Ward and many other Titans players also resulted in the firing of their former coach Brian Callahan.
Jared Stillwell believes history will repeat itself. And it will be Robert Saleh who will face the consequences. However, this entire offseason, the Tennessee Titans have spoken about Cam Ward very highly.
“It’s as simple as just time on task,” Saleh said a few weeks back. “Every single one of those plays he has executed flawlessly in practice and he has to be able to have the confidence in himself and his teammates to just execute. Get your feet down, play with great technique and deliver the football just like he has.
“We’re gonna continue to harp on all the technique, the fundamentals. We’re gonna continue to rep things at a high level, but it’s just reps. There’s no doubt Cam is capable. We’ve just got to go execute.”
Stillwell also touched upon why Saleh would receive the flak if the Titans and Ward finish the 2026 season in an underwhelming manner. And he blamed it on the head coach’s vocal thoughts about his 24-year-old QB.
“The best way to develop a quarterback is to give him a team that doesn’t make him feel like he has to be Superman,” Saleh said a week after joining the Titans. “But I don’t want to put a straitjacket on him either.”
As things stand, in the two preseason games, Tennessee defeated both San Francisco and Seattle, even though Cam Ward wasn’t in his best of form, completing 13-of-24 passes for 126 yards.
So, before moving into the regular season clash on September 13, it will be interesting to see how Ward & Co. perform under Saleh in their preseason finale against the Chicago Bears on August 29.