Cam Ward’s expected top target on the Tennessee Titans in 2025 isn’t who most NFL fans would expect

Cam Ward is about to be handed the Tennessee Titans’ playbook for the foreseeable future as this past April’s draft’s No. 1 overall pick, plus the keys to the franchise as the team’s undisputed building block indefinitely.

That could mean a major role for fellow Miami Hurricanes alum Xavier Restrepo, who CBS Sports’ Jared Durbin predicts will become Ward’s top target during the 2025 season despite the presence of proven stars like Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett.

“Tennessee added three pass catchers for Cam Ward in the fourth round alone, selecting wide receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, along with tight end Gunnar Helm. But the best receiver the Titans added was an undrafted free agent. Restrepo could have been a Day 2 pick and would unquestionably have gone on Day 3 had he not run a disastrous 40-yard dash at Miami's Pro Day. But Ward's former No. 1 receiver is an absolute baller. He's going to make the team, and with a clear opening in the slot alongside Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett, he could quickly take over an actual role. If he does, Ward is going to target him a lot,” Durbin wrote.

Tennessee is entering a new era. With it, Ward is expected to elevate the team’s undervalued youth and buck the trend of relying on aging talents trying to prove they can still hang in the NFL.

Restrepo, more than any other player, has the reps with Ward to immediately make an impact.

While it may take some time for Restrepo to become a game-breaking option, and there’s no guarantee he ever gets there if speed truly is the issue that his 4.83 40-yard dash time indicates it could be, there’s a very big reason under center to believe the wideout can break out in Nashville.

If that connection from “The U” is strong enough, Ward and Restrepo could resurrect a Titans franchise that is only four years removed from the end of six years of winning records.