QB Mason Rudolph To Start For Titans In Week 7

Titans usual starting quarterback Will Levis has been dealing with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder for the past two weeks. That didn’t stop Tennessee from starting him last week against the Colts, but this week, the Titans will sit the injured passer, announcing Mason Rudolph as the starter instead, per Titans beat writer Paul Kuharksy.

Levis retained the starting duties from his rookie season after throwing eight touchdowns to four interceptions despite sporting a 3-6 record as a starter. The performance in his sophomore campaign seems to reflect the win-loss record a bit more accordingly. In five starts this season, Levis has thrown five touchdowns to seven interceptions en route to a 1-4 record. The one game he started that resulted in a win saw him leave after only 11 offensive snaps while Rudolph took over and led the team to a win.

Rudolph was acquired in the offseason as an improved backup option over former third-round pick Malik Willis. Rudolph ended up beating out Willis for the backup job, resulting in Willis getting traded to Green Bay. Rudolph brought a good amount of experience stepping in as a starter from his time in Pittsburgh, sporting an impressive 8-4-1 record despite never being a consistent starter. Rudolph wasn’t asked to do much when he took over for Levis in Week 4, only completing nine passes for 85 yards, but the result of the game is hard to ignore.

Rudolph will now get another chance to step in as the starter again as Levis deals with his injury. In making this announcement, sources haven’t seemed to rule Levis out, indicating that he might be available in an emergency, but with a league-leading 10 turnovers adding insult to injury, it feels like this may be a benching. The team did elevate quarterback Trevor Siemian from the practice squad for the weekend, as well, so there’s a chance that Levis isn’t even QB2 this week and a chance that he’ll be inactive, as well.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the grade 2 AC sprain could continue to hold Levis out in the future. Levis has played through injury in the past and is considered “week-to-week,” but this type of injury often holds players out for four to five weeks. In the meantime, it looks like Rudolph will get a chance to show what he can do at the helm of the Titans offense.