The Indianapolis Colts get a chance to face off with the lowly Tennessee Titans in Week 6.
The Titans are 0-5 and stumbling through the second season of QB Cam Ward’s NFL career.
Presumably, Ward will remain the starter for the Week 6 clash.
There are some calls out there, though, for Ward to be benched in favor of the Titans’ backup quarterback.
NFL Writer Calls to Bench Cam Ward
Vinnie Iyer, the senior NFL writer from The Sporting News, believes the Titans should bench Ward.
Iyer’s logic in a new article on Wednesday comes down to a couple of factors — the first simply being that Ward hasn’t played very well while trying to learn a new offensive system.
“Ward, like (Bryce) Young in 2024, is struggling in a new offense in Year 2 after being drafted No. 1 overall in the previous year,” Iyer writes. “Brian Daboll’s system has delivered one of the league’s worst passing games with Ward having ball-security and decision-making issues.”
It’d be tough to bench Ward if the Titans didn’t have a trustworthy backup, but they actually do.
Titans’ Backup QB
The Titans’ backup quarterback is the reliable veteran Mitchell Trubisky.
“The key to benching a QB is having a viable backup,” Iyer writes. “The Titans have won in notable former Bear, Bill and Steeler Mitchell Trubisky, who knows Daboll’s offense from their shared time in Buffalo working with Josh Allen. Ward needs some time to settle and develop, much like this year’s No. 1 overall pick, the Raiders‘ Fernando Mendoza.”
Trubisky wouldn’t have to be the long-term starter. He’d just allow Ward to take a deep breath, much like Young got early in his career, in the hopes that Ward would come back more polished and ready.
Who Would Colts Rather Play?
With the way Ward is playing, the Colts are probably looking forward to facing him. There are turnovers and three-and-outs on the card in this matchup.
Trubisky, on the other hand, would present an unexpected variable.
“The Titans need a win after starting 0-5 with Ward,” Iyer writes. “With the Colts and Browns next, Trubisky needs to get out there ASAP to make their attack more respectable in the short term.”
Indy, at 2-3 and already two games behind the Jaguars in the AFC South Division, can’t afford a loss to the winless Titans.
Whoever Tennessee goes with at quarterback, the Colts need their own QB, Daniel Jones, to be better. A good offensive day against the Titans should be enough to win the game whether it’s Ward or Trubisky on the other side.
Titans Called to Bench Cam Ward for Backup QB Before Colts Game in Week 6