Brian Daboll and Gus Bradley addressed the media for the first time on Wednesday as the Tennessee Titans’ new offensive and defensive coordinators. Much of the focus quickly shifted to Daboll, with the former Giants head coach fielding questions about second-year quarterback Cam Ward. Not surprisingly, Daboll kept details limited just three weeks into the job, but he expressed confidence in Ward’s talent and potential.

“We got a lot of work to do with everybody,” said Brian Daboll during his introductory press conference, via the Tennessee Titans on X. “[Cam] is a young, athletic quarterback who has accuracy and who can make plays on the move. He can do a great job if the play doesn’t look great, and then it also looks great because of his ability. He’s smart. I’ll look forward to communicating with him and building this thing together, along with all the pieces we have in play and the pieces we will go and get. But it will be a collective deal. This is a big piece to quarterback.”

Ward started all 17 games in the season, winning only three. His QBR read 33.2 while completing almost 60% of his passes. In his rookie season, the quarterback covered 3,169 passing yards, scored 15 touchdowns, and threw seven interceptions. The numbers suggest he has clear potential, but the structure around him hasn’t been there.

To fulfill the guidance he lacks, the Titans’ owner had hired Daboll. He has previously worked with Josh Allen as the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach in Buffalo from 2018 to 2021.

His methods involved Allen using his instincts to analyze a play, snapping the ball accordingly, and developing his explosive arm strength. He achieved such success with Allen using one simple step, and he plans to do the same with Cam Ward.

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However, Daboll’s time in Tennessee may not be a long one. Before accepting the offensive coordinator role in Tennessee, he interviewed for the Titans’ head coaching vacancy, but the team ultimately chose former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

Daboll was also linked to potential openings with the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders, though he chose not to wait on either organization as their searches dragged on. While for now, he’s focused on the task at hand, there’s little doubt that becoming a head coach still remains part of Daboll’s long-term plans. Until then, he’s committed to working with Cam Ward in Tennessee.

Brian Daboll hopes to establish better communication with Cam Ward

Brian Daboll is a former AP NFL Coach of the Year and AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year, and he won five Super Bowls as an assistant. So, there’s hardly any doubt regarding his coaching tactics. With Cam Ward, he is going to do the same thing that he has been doing with the previous quarterbacks he has worked with.

“The most important thing is to first develop a relationship with the young man and get a feel for how he is seeing the game,” said Brian Daboll during the press conference, via Turron Davenport on X. “I like to see the game through the quarterback’s eyes… But until I can get that communication and get through these plays and iron out the details of it, we’re a little bit away from that.”

Daboll is looking to first establish good communication with Ward. He wants to know what the young quarterback feels and get into his boots. It is easier for him to get a better hold of himself when they are on the same page. Moreover, good communication will make them comfortable and open up better.

Daboll did the same with Allen in Buffalo and Jaxson Dart at the New York Giants. In doing so, he has established a great relationship with the Bills‘ star quarterback. Allen also admits that Daboll is one of the most influential coaches in his career.

“In terms of the path of my career and getting better, he was probably the most influential one,” Allen said about Daboll in 2023. “He’s a guy that I [would] talk to every day.”

Similarly, the Titans’ OC also reciprocated the feeling.

“[Our relationship] started because of football, but … we have similar, I’d say, personalities, and we developed a strong relationship,” Daboll said. “That won’t change, wherever I’m at, whatever I’m doing, on my side of it. Certainly, talk to him; we don’t just talk about football because you, again, get to be around someone for as long as you are for four years, and you’re naturally going to have a relationship. So, again, he’s a great friend, I’ll say that.”

That played a factor in Allen becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league, scoring 40+ touchdowns in consecutive seasons.

Similarly, there are a lot of things to address in Tennessee, and Ward is one of them. The first-round pick has shown bits and pieces of a good quarterback. Now, it is up to Daboll to create a healthy relationship with him. It remains to be seen whether Daboll can develop another elite quarterback in the Titans‘ Cam Ward.