Cody Barton Praises Rookie QB Cam Ward: “It’s Pretty Special”

Although he got the best of him in OTAs last week, former Utah linebacker Cody Barton had nothing but good things to say about rookie quarterback Cam Ward.

As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ward is expected to be the Titans’ Day 1 starter.

Cody Barton was fired up to have two INTs off of Cam Ward, and what hes seen from the rookie this week pic.twitter.com/hwhHqFKD75

— JT Ruhnke (@jt_ruhnke) June 12, 2025

“Cam (Ward) is awesome,” Barton said. “Great player. As a rookie, to come in, command, and take control of this offense, it’s impressive to see. You’ve seen his ability; he can make every throw. The physical ability is very impressive. But the maturity and all of that with it, it’s pretty special.”

It will also be Barton’s first year in Tennessee. After a career year in Denver last year, Barton signed a three-year, $21 million deal this offseason.

Funny enough, it will be the second season in a row that Barton’s team will be led by a first-year shot caller. Bo Nix took the reins for the Broncos last year and led the team to a playoff appearance. Ward will look for similar success in his rookie campaign.

Ward shrugged off the Barton interception, which was the only real blemish on his performance Thursday.

“It’s 7-on-7, I don’t count that. It’s not real football,” Ward joked. “I’m glad I threw it to Cody (Barton), that’s six points for my team.”

With OTAs wrapping up, teams will soon hold mandatory minicamps before entering a quiet stretch from mid-June to mid-July. Training camps will begin in the final week of July.

The Tennessee Titans will open their regular season in Denver on Sunday, September 7.

About Cody Barton

Prior to his college and professional careers, Barton was a standout player for the Bengals of Brighton High School.

After his prep career, the linebacker played at the University of Utah from 2015-18. During his time with the Utes, Barton recorded 234 total tackles, 131 solo tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one interception, 11 pass breakups, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries in 47 games played.

Following his time at Utah, Barton was selected by the Seahawks with the No. 88 overall pick during the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Last season, Barton recorded 136 total tackles, 84 solo tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, and six pass breakups.

Barton signed with the Commanders in March 2023 before inking a deal with the Denver Broncos in March 2024.

Cody Barton sets us up past midfield

📺 #WASvsNYJ: CBS pic.twitter.com/8IV8wMkOlM

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 24, 2023

During his five seasons in the league, the former Ute has posted 352 total tackles, 207 solo tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions, and nine pass breakups. He’s played in 78 NFL games.

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Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.

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