Titans Cut Will Levis and Hendon Hooker, Handing Cam Ward the Keys
Tennessee waived both former backups in its trim to 53, leaving Cam Ward and Mitchell Trubisky as the only QBs on the depth chart.
Job security is locked, but he's a QB2 until the volume proves it.
- Titans waived both Levis and Hooker in cut to 53
- Cam Ward: 3,169 pass yds, 15 TD in 2025 (17 games)
- Ward ranks #22 at QB in our 2026 model
- Trubisky is now the only veteran QB behind Ward
- Ward up +2.7 fantasy pts over last 5 games of 2025
The Titans didn't just trim their roster to 53 — they cleared the entire room behind Cam Ward. Tennessee waived both Will Levis and Hendon Hooker in Sunday's cutdown, leaving Ward and veteran Mitchell Trubisky as the only quarterbacks on the depth chart. That's about as loud a vote of confidence as a young starter can get.
Ward already looked like the guy after a rookie campaign that produced 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 17 games in 2025 (actual), plus 159 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. That output landed him at 201 PPR points and our No. 22 ranking at the position heading into 2026. Now there's zero ambiguity about who's under center.
Hooker never got a real look in Tennessee — his 2024 line was three games, 62 passing yards and three PPR points (actual). Levis' departure closes the book on a former second-round pick who the franchise clearly moved past the moment it drafted Ward first overall. Trubisky slots in as the emergency insurance, and the team is expected to stash a third arm on the practice squad.
The wideout room took a hit too. Tennessee cut a long list that included KJ Osborn, Mason Kinsey, Lance McCutcheon and Bryce Oliver — the latter mustering just one catch for eight yards over three games in 2025 (actual). Running back Kalel Mullings, our No. 109 at the position, was also let go after a quiet nine-game stretch that yielded seven rushing yards.
The Fantasy Fallout
For fantasy purposes, this doesn't change Ward's ceiling so much as it removes the floor risk. There's no phantom quarterback controversy waiting to steal snaps if he stumbles early. His late-season trend is encouraging too — Ward averaged +2.7 fantasy points over his final five games of 2025 compared to his season mark, a sign the offense was rounding into shape.
Bottom line: Ward is a hold in one-QB leagues and a fringe QB1 in superflex. The rushing upside plus locked-in job security make him a sneaky value at his current No. 22 positional rank, but the target-room turnover means the passing volume is still a question. Draft him as your QB2 with real weekly-starter potential — just don't reach expecting top-10 numbers out of the gate.
