The Titans fell to 0-3 on Sunday, and quarterback Will Levis‘ struggles continued. Head coach Brian Callahan confirmed after the game that no change will be made on the depth chart, though. 
“Oh yeah,” the first-year coach confirmed when asked if Levis would still operate as Tennessee’s starter (via ESPN’s Turron Davenport). “We’ve also got to play better around him. I’m not going to overreact to an interception. Those things happen, guys throw picks, we just can’t give it to their team. It’s a killer. But we’ve not played a complete game in any phase at any point yet.”
Levis threw a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble during today’s loss to the Packers. That gives the 2023 second-rounder eight turnovers on the year, one in which he was expected to develop into the team’s long-term starter under Callahan. Giveaways at critical times have been a constant during the early portion of the campaign, and Levis’ ability to eliminate them will be key for his own acclimation to the NFL and to the Titans’ 2024 success.
Of course, Week 3 featured a matchup between Tennessee and former quarterback Malik Willis. The Titans tapped veteran Mason Rudolph as their backup signal-caller during the offseason, trading Willis to Green Bay shortly before the campaign. With the Packers showing disappointment in Sean Clifford (who was retained after roster cutdowns) and Michael Pratt (who was not), Willis found himself second on the depth chart at the start of the year. Jordan Love‘s MCL injury left Willis in place to start over each of the past two games, both victories.
If a change were to be made by Callahan and Co., Rudolph would take over. The 29-year-old has 13 starts to his name, each of which came during his lengthy Steelers tenure. Rudolph served as Pittsburgh’s QB1 to close out the 2023 campaign even after Kenny Pickett returned to full health, although the team cleaned house under center during the offseason. That left Rudolph in need of a new team, and he inked a one-year deal featuring $2.7MM guaranteed.
Callahan’s comments confirm Levis will remain in place for the time being, but questions about his status will no doubt continue if his turnover issues carry over into future games. The Kentucky product has totaled 579 passing yards and four touchdowns to date in 2024, adding sparse production on the ground and taking 15 sacks. More passing efficiency and overall stability from the QB spot will be the target moving forward. If that does not come to bear, however, it will be interesting to see how the team proceeds.
Levis threw another pick-6 today — his second in only 3 games — thus it’s only fair to doubt whether he’d be Tennessee’s QB1 for the long term.
Send us a swap of firsts, and a 4th rounder and you can have Malik Willis start for you
– Gute the fleece