Cam Ward Makes Clear Demand to Shedeur Sanders as Titans QB Gives Verdict on Rival’s NFL Future

They both started in the FCS ranks. Shedeur Sanders, already carrying the spotlight for all that last name is worth, was making waves at Jackson State. And zero-star Cam Ward, on the other hand, was carving out a path of his own at Incarnate Word. From those early days to now, they worked their way into headlines. Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, analysts initially projected them as the first two quarterbacks off the board: Ward and Sanders, one and two, in whatever order. Social media platforms that would pit one against the other, a vain attempt at establishing a discourse of rivalry between the two. But we all know how that turned out after all.

Although they never spoke about each other in those terms, theirs is a relationship rooted in shared respect… just how Ward described it during an interview with Bussin’ with the Boys podcast. “I don’t have a rivalry with him,” Ward said. “That’s my boy. At the end of the day, this whole process, we thought me and him were gonna be 1 and 2 the whole time. … That’s just always been our mindset. It didn’t go that way, but just coming out of college, even to the draft, I thought he was one of the better quarterbacks in the draft as well.” 

Yet, in one of the most stunning draft slides in recent memory, Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans, and Sanders tumbled all the way to the fifth round, landing with the Cleveland Browns at pick No. 144. Much of the speculation around his drop centered on reports that he didn’t present the most professional approach during pre-draft interviews with NFL teams. Ward, however, offered a very different perspective. “He’s always been a great person to be around,” Ward said. “A lot of stuff out there on him isn’t really the truth, just because they spin it different ways—like they spin stuff about me different ways.” 

Ward closed the preseason strong against the Vikings, going 3-of-4 for 36 yards and showing poise under pressure, highlighted by a key third-down strike to Van Jefferson after escaping a sack. Sanders’ preseason, by contrast, was rough— he completed three of six passes for 14 yards and was sacked five times in the finale against the Rams, exposing both a shaky Browns line and his tendency to hold the ball too long. Still, flashes of pocket poise reminded scouts of his upside, and Ward hasn’t lost faith: “I’ve always thought he was a productive quarterback. A lot of people may have their own opinion; I have mine as well. But when he gets his chance to become a starter, I know he’s going to make the most of it.” And with that endorsement came an expectation that he has for Sanders once the season ends. 

“I’m ready to get back to work with him after the season,” Ward said. “Talk some more stuff to him, say some crazy stuff. I mean, we’re just going to keep on pushing each other.”

As of now, while Ward is set to open his rookie season as the Titans starter, Sanders faces a longer climb up the depth chart in Cleveland. Veteran Joe Flacco has already been named the Browns starter, and with Kenny Pickett traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, Sanders will compete alongside third-round pick Dillon Gabriel for backup duties.