Titans' first-overall draft pick Cam Ward gives huge praise to Buccaneers defense

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' revamped defense has already been getting some good reviews so far this training camp, but don't just take it from us — take it from the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward.

Ward was selected first overall by the Tennessee Titans, and he got some experience with the Tampa heat on Thursday when he faced off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during joint practice. The Buccaneers' defense gave him all that he could handle, and they even picked him off once in practice when Haason Reddick dropped back in coverage and secured the football for the turnover.

Ward was asked what he thought about the Buccaneers' defense and the work the Titans got done at One Buc Place after practice, and he had some big words of praise for Todd Bowles' defensive unit.

Cam Ward gives high praise after Buccaneers-Titans joint practice

"This is one of the best defenses out there in the league," Ward said after practice ended, per a video from PewterReport. "They gave us a bit of work. They stopped us a couple of times, we had some explosives on them. I think both groups today got better."

Bowles' defense has been known to be unkind to rookies, and Ward was no exception on Thursday. Heavy blitzes and lots of moving pieces means that inexperienced quarterbacks can struggle, and Ward threw a few balls out of bounds and a few more in the dirt while he was relentlessly targeted by the Buccaneers' offense.

That being said, Tampa Bay's defense came away impressed with Ward as well. Defensive back Christian Izien spoke after practice, and he mentioned that Ward's ball placement down the middle of the field was good and that his pocket presence — which he described as "laissez-faire" — was impressive for a rookie.

Overall, it seems like Ward was right. The Buccaneers and the Titans will both take away a lot from this joint practice, and they'll get to apply it when the two teams face off on Saturday for a preseason showdown at Raymond James Stadium. Ward thinks very highly of this defense, but he's set to play in Saturday's game, so he won't be done with it quite yet.