CORAL GABLES, Fla. – By now, you've probably seen the handshakes, and the hugs.
At Miami's Pro Day on Monday, quarterback Cam Ward even did some light-hearted trash talking to Titans officials as he made his case to be the first player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Then on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Titans "have become increasingly impressed with Ward" while saying the team is expected to listen to offers for the No.1 overall pick, but "it would now take an even stronger package to acquire the draft's top selection."
So, is Ward to the Titans a done deal?
Well, as ESPN's Lee Corso might say, not so fast, my friend.
"I would say everything is still on the table," Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi said from Miami's Pro Day. "From the beginning I said I wanted to go through the whole process, and I felt like our priority was to build the offensive line first, and we added (tackle) Dan Moore and (guard) Kevin Zeitler.
"Now we're going through the process here with the college quarterbacks. But I'd say everything is still on the table right now."
Over the course of the past month, the Titans and Ward have developed a nice rapport as they've gotten to know one another during the pre-draft process.
The two sides will spend more time together later this week during a private workout on Friday.
Coach Brian Callahan said the Titans are doing their due diligence on Ward, just like they're doing with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Colorado defensive back/receiver Travis Hunter, and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Other teams at the top of the draft are doing their homework as well. It was widely reported on Wednesday the Browns, who are scheduled to pick second in the NFL Draft, held their own private workout and meeting with Ward while in South Florida.
Leading up to next month's NFL Draft, the Titans will consider every option, Callahan said.
"There's still plenty of stuff that we have to work through," Callahan said. "We'll still do our due diligence on all the players. We'll do the same thing with Shedeur. He has a Pro Day, we'll have a private with him. Same thing with Travis Hunter. Abdul has the foot injury, so that changes a little bit of what he is going to do. Obviously, he might not work out as much.
"But we'll check all the boxes on all the guys we are sort of in range of and then you make your rankings and at some point you have to make the ultimate decision. And there's still a lot of things that go into that, especially when you are talking about if and when there are some trade conversations, what that looks like. That's why it is so hard to just say you are locked into one spot because there are so many things that can happen."
