The Tennessee Titans will be rolling into next season with Will Levis as their starting quarterback. That much we know. But the question is, how long of a leash will Levis have?
Levis supplanted Ryan Tannehill as the Titans’ starter midway through 2023, which was Levis’ rookie year. He wasn’t entirely inspiring in his nine starts, throwing for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 58.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 84.2.
Tennessee selected Levis in the second round of last year’s NFL Draft and didn’t even consider taking a signal-caller with the seventh overall pick last month, so the club must have some fairly high expectations for Levis heading into 2024 and beyond.
However, the Titans did sign Mason Rudolph for some insurance this offseason, which has Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wondering if Rudolph could end up getting some playing time this coming year.
Gagnon notes that Levis got off to a great start over his first couple of start last season but that he faded down the stretch, which signals that Tennessee could end up pulling him if he struggles early in 2024.
The Titans have been very busy this offseason, signing wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd to put alongside of DeAndre Hopkins in what is suddenly a very dangerous-looking receiving corps.
They also landed running back Tony Pollard to replace the departed Derrick Henry, and they addressed their ailing offensive line by signing the top center on the free-agent market in Lloyd Cushenberry and choosing tackle JC Latham with their first-round draft pick.
Essentially, Tennessee has done everything in its power to set Levis up for success come September, so the Titans may not have a whole lot of patience if he underperforms over the first month or so.
Rudolph has experience and actually helped get the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs in 2023, so Tennessee may not hesitate to hand the reins over to him if Levis disappoints.
Gagnon notes that Rudolph is talented and is still relatively young at 28, so it is possible that he could have a breakout year in 2024 if things fall into place for him.
Gagnon does qualify his statement by saying it doesn’t seem very likely, but that “wilder things” have happened in the NFL.
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