NFL training camps are underway and the 2026 season opens a new chapter for last year’s draft class. Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough and Shedeur Sanders enter Year 2 with heightened expectations after tape review identified one or two clear areas each must improve to take the next step, according to ESPN.
Context is important. None of the four played in a particularly favorable environment as rookies: all four were on losing teams, only one began 2025 as a starter, and three of the four are already facing head coaching changes, according to ESPN. Each quarterback showed promise in limited ways, but none are finished products and all could still lose their jobs in future seasons.
Cam Ward’s largest area for improvement is his running and what the review calls “arm arrogance.” Statistically, Ward ranked 36th of 38 quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks in EPA per dropback and success rate, ahead of only the Browns’ rookie duo, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders. Only Gabriel posted a lower yards-per-attempt than Ward’s 5.9. Ward also dealt with a weakened receiving corps after Calvin Ridley’s injury — Tennessee’s leading snap getters became rookies Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike and veteran Van Jefferson — and a stalled running game that finished 29th in EPA per play and 31st in explosive run rate. Brian Callahan was fired midseason, and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who has a history of boosting quarterback play, arrives in Tennessee, according to ESPN.
Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough and Shedeur Sanders each showed encouraging traits in Year 1. Dart displayed a greater-than-expected dual-threat skill set that raises his floor. Shough possesses a legitimate arm and a big frame. Sanders, a fifth-round rookie, managed to “keep the ship afloat” in difficult circumstances. Those observations came from the same tape review that singled out Ward’s issues, according to ESPN.
The review also noted a common thread in Daboll’s impact on quarterbacks: he has leaned on designed quarterback runs in the past. Josh Allen was a primary example, and Daniel Jones’ designed rushes per game rose from 1.8 in the three years before Daboll to 3.7 per game in the three years after, according to ESPN. Each young quarterback will need improvement in specific areas to build on the flashes shown as rookies.
