Cam Ward solid in Titans' 29-7 opening exhibition loss

Cam Ward’s pro debut was solid, if unspectacular.

The first overall pick in this year’s NFL draft completed five of eight passes for 67 yards, but more importantly was composed and looked comfortable running Tennessee’s offense in the Titans’ 29-7 preseason-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night.

Two days after working against the Bucs defense in a joint practice at Tampa Bay’s training facility, Ward played two offensive series, including an impressive second-quarter touchdown drive that gave the Titans a glimpse of what the franchise is counting on to be a bright future with him at quarterback.

The 6-foot-2, 219-pound rookie completed three passes to Calvin Ridley to account for all but 15 yards on the 11-play, 65-yard TD drive Tony Pollard finished with a 1-yard scoring run. That came after the Tennessee offense spent more than 14 minutes of the opening quarter on the sideline while Tampa Bay was building a 10-0 lead and a whopping 143-5 advantage in total yardage while running 22 plays to Tennessee’s 3.

Ward, who had no turnovers and was not sacked, left the game after getting the Titans into the end zone. Backup Brandon Allen and third-stringer Tim Boyle, who threw an interception that was returned for a late touchdown, shared playing time the rest of the way.

The Titans remain on the road for another week, moving on to Atlanta for two joint practices followed by a game Aug. 15 against the Falcons.