Titans HC Robert Saleh: No thoughts to benching QB Cam Ward

Titans head coach Robert Saleh made clear Sunday that there are no plans to bench rookie quarterback Cam Ward, saying the team is giving him every opportunity to work through his early-season struggles.

Ward and the Titans offense sputtered again in a Week 5 loss to Houston, and the question has followed the team for weeks: at what point does Tennessee look to the bench? Sunday provided the clearest answer yet — Saleh is staying the course.

The Titans are 1-4 and face an increasingly loud noise floor about the direction of the franchise under first-year GM John Spytek. But Saleh's conviction on Ward is consistent with the organization's pre-draft stance: they believe in the rookie's arm talent and mobility and are willing to absorb the growing pains.

Ward finished Sunday's game as the starter and Saleh noted postgame that the team has seen enough from the rookie to keep the job his. The question now is whether the Titans' schedule affords him a soft landing — upcoming matchups against the Colts and Bills will test Tennessee's protection scheme and Ward's decision-making under duress.