The measure of success for the Tennessee Titans, like most teams in the NFL this season, will come down to who is under center.
To start the season, that guy is Will Levis, the second-year pro out of Kentucky being given his first chance to be at the top of the depth chart. This season is a massive one for Levis' growth and it will likely determine whether the Titans will need to move on from him or not.
Levis completed just 58.4 percent of his passes in nine games during his rookie season for eight touchdowns and four interceptions. Numbers like that, which led to a 6-11 finish for the Titans, won't help him keep the starting job.
Levis will be given every chance to succeed, but the Titans are in it to win it this season, which is part of the reason why they signed Mason Rudolph to back him up. Rudolph knows a thing or two about winning having been with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first five years of his career.
The Steelers have never finished under .500 since Rudolph arrived in 2019, and he was a big part of keeping that streak alive last season when he started the team's final three games (all wins) in 2023. Rudolph also started the team's Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Rudolph is expected to keep Levis on his toes, while also giving him some guidance in emerging as the leader of the franchise. While the Titans want Levis to be their franchise guy, they likely won't be afraid to make a switch to Rudolph in order to try and salvage something during the season. The Titans angled themselves to try and win this season, and they'll do that regardless of who is under center.
Rudolph is likely to be the team's backup, but he'll have to fend off third-year pro Malik Willis from the second-string job. Willis was drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he has been subject to trade rumors after the team selected Levis and signed Rudolph in the offseason. The Titans may be better off trading him to try and get some value, but he still has some potential, and Tennessee will give him a chance to learn Brian Callahan's new system before deciding on his future.
No matter how the season shakes out, the Titans will be getting some answers about their quarterbacks, and sometimes clarity can be just as important as winning football games.
