Titans benching Will Levis: Where Tennessee goes from here with team reportedly making QB switch for Week 16

For the Tennessee Titans, one of the main objectives of the 2024 season was to evaluate second-year signal-caller Will Levis. That evaluation may be complete, as the Titans are planning to make a switch at quarterback ahead of Week 16, per ESPN. Mason Rudolph is the likely candidate to replace Levis as the starter for the remaining three games of the regular season. 

This comes after Levis was benched for Rudolph in the third quarter of Tennessee’s 37-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Titans’ former starting quarterback completed 8 of 12 passes for 89 yards, three interceptions and one fumble lost before being pulled. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown — a common sight for Titans fans. Levis leads the NFL in pick-sixes with four. No other quarterback in Titans/Oilers history has thrown four pick-sixes in a season.

Levis has completed 63.7% of his passes for 1,916 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season. Turnovers have defined his 2024 campaign, as Levis racked up 17 total giveaways — second only to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. For reference, there are 15 NFL teams that have yet to commit 17 turnovers.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan had long stood by Levis, but the unfortunate truth is that his unit ranks bottom five in the league in both total offense (301 yards allowed per game) and scoring (18.1 points per game). Levis was viewed as a reason for optimism in Tennessee entering this season. He threw four touchdowns in his first NFL start last year in an upset victory over the Falcons, and overcame a double-digit deficit in the final minutes against the Miami Dolphins on the road in what was one of the most improbable comebacks in NFL history. Callahan, who came to the Music City after spending the past five years as the offensive coordinator for the Bengals, even said Levis was one of the reasons he wanted this job.

Callahan will maintain this is a decision that won’t define Levis’ future, but odds are it will. After entering 2024 as the unchallenged starter, 2025 is unclear.

What happens next?

The Titans will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. How aggressive they will be in acquiring one remains to be seen. Will general manager Ran Carthon consider selling future draft capital to move up the board and select the quarterback of the future, or will he instead peruse the underwhelming list of free agents? Will the Titans cut their losses and move Levis for a Day 3 pick, or will they simply just add competition for him?

There is plenty of time between now and April 24. Plenty of time for draft narratives to be formed and for us to discover how NFL decision-makers view this quarterback class. There may be just two quarterbacks who go inside the top 10: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward. If the season ended today, the 3-11 Titans would be selecting No. 6 overall behind two quarterback-needy teams in the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. Sanders will likely be gone by No. 6, so would Tennessee take a chance on Ward? All CBS Sports NFL Draft experts currently have the Titans passing on a quarterback in the first round.

Free agents

The free agent pool isn’t too exciting. Sam Darnold may be the “belle of the ball,” and Justin Fields certainly is an intriguing option. Could there be a team willing to give Zach Wilson another chance? 

Here are some quarterbacks on expiring contracts: 

There is no clear path for where the Titans should go — and that’s what makes this situation so interesting. It also may be something that works in Levis’ favor.