Titans have 3 future options at quarterback after benching Will Levis

Tennessee will miss the postseason for a third consecutive season. The Titans figure to have a top-six pick in the NFL draft this April and now, reportedly, they’ve benched Will Levis again.  

Mason Rudolph, under contract for three more games, is expected to start for Tennessee (3-11) at Indianapolis (6-8) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS). He’s not likely to return. But there are three directions the Titans can go at football’s most important position, per beat writer Nick Suss.

Suss said Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan could replace Levis through unrestricted free agency, through the draft or both. He also believes Levis hasn’t written his final chapter in Nashville.

After Sam Darnold, Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield have resurrected their careers and led teams to the playoffs, finding a player looking to write a new chapter is an attractive option. Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr or Garder Minshew might be options. But there’s also a risk of that free-agent investment putting the Titans in a Kirk Cousins conundrum.

“Things get a little more interesting if players like Stafford, Carr or Minshew end up as free agents because teams exercise options in their contracts,” Suss wrote. “This is particularly true of Stafford and Carr. Callahan has coached both, and offensive coordinator Nick Holz has experience working with Carr as well. A lot of surprises would have to happen for Stafford to end up on the market, and there are valid questions about Carr’s future, given the way he has played this season. But these are at least starter-caliber options.”

One of those options could serve as a bridge to a rookie, the path the Vikings thought they were taking. Now that Darnold has more touchdown passes in 14 games this season (29) than he had in the previous four years combined (27), and rookie J.J. McCarthy sustained a season-ending knee injury, Minnesota has a good problem. In Tennessee, though, a shallow draft and other circumstances could keep Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward from landing with the Titans. And even if they’re able to draft Jalen Milroe, Suss said, building an offense around the Alabama prospect would likely mean reconfiguring the Titans’ talent at every position.”

“And anyone else on the list ranges from ‘guy in a gimmicky college offense’ to ‘guy who might go back for another year of college’ to ‘guy who might not even be the best quarterback at his own college,’ Suss said. “At the very best, the Titans would be drafting a quarterback to compete with Levis, not be his slam-dunk replacement.”

And that means Levis is likely to begin his third NFL season right where it started, with the Titans.

For more information on the Titans and Colts, visit the Tennessee and Indianapolis team pages at ProFootballPost.com.