Even before teams name their starters for the 2025 season, the guess game is already on for the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. ESPN's Ben Solak's best bet is the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward.
Plenty of reasons contribute towards the expectations, the most prominent among which is Ward being one of the finest rookie QBs.
Not to mention, it would be fairly easy for Ward to amass the whopping numbers for increased chances to win the accolade with the Titans' revamped offensive line.
"As such, my favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year is Ward, the only passer with an obvious path to starting the vast majority of the 2025 season. He lands in a solid environment in Tennessee. The offensive line has been improved across all five positions over the past two seasons, and while the receiving room isn't amazing, nobody rated Washington's 2024 group or Houston's 2023 group as spectacular," Solak writes.
Also, Ward's position as a quarterback is, as history suggests, majorly favored when handing out the accolade.
"When faced with an excellent QB and an excellent non-QB, voters gravitate toward the former," Sloak wrote.
"So many more signal-callers play as rookies these days than in decades past, and accordingly, there are more candidates for the award. In a similar vein, it's much easier for quarterbacks to produce bigger numbers in modern offenses, which tend to skew pass-heavy.
"The past two OROY winners are instructive. In 2023, quarterback C.J. Stroud won the award over Puka Nacua despite the fact that the wide receiver set rookie records in both receptions (105) and yardage (1,486). In 2024, Jayden Daniels won the award over tight end Brock Bowers, who broke Nacua's rookie receptions record with 112 and Mike Ditka's mark for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end with 1,194. Ditka's record had stood since 1961."
For that to happen, though, Ward would need to ensure he gets a starting spot on the Titans' roster. Head coach Brian Callahan has made it clear that he would be waiting till September, almost up until the regular season's start, to name their starter.
With Mason Rudolph and Malik Willis gone, the Titans don't have much firepower in their QB room. Precisely because of that, Ward would most likely be the Titans' starter and have a shot at winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
All he needs is a solid performance and numbers in his rookie year to earn his stripes.