By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Did Will Levis make deciding whether he is a starting quarterback in 2025 tougher or easier on the Titans' front office and coaching staff after a horrible performance against the Bengals?
What has been clear to me dating back to Levis' time at Kentucky is he is a talented athlete with a strong arm and good frame. He is a strong runner and competitor.

But he lacks feel and instincts for the position, awareness in the pocket and clear vision as a downfield thrower. The tools that Levis shows so well are natural athletic gifts and he has an inner drive to want to be good and make plays for his team.
The tools he lacks are inherited traits that make it tough for any quarterback to have consistency and ultimate success. For the Titans to play with a QB who lacks instincts and feel, they need him to overcompensate with a sound understanding of the offensive system that is designed to make it easier for him to make initial reads quickly.
His lack of awareness in the pocket would force the team to continue to bolster the line into a wall of pass protection and give him the confidence to stay in the pocket.The lack of clear vision downfield would have to be supplemented by limited progression reads and more predetermined throws. Or the team can become more of a running offense with a dominating running back like …a young Derrick Henry – and those don’t come around often.
All that sounds great, but Brian Callahan, the front office and ownership doesn’t have the luxury of time just to try to develop Levis into a quality NFL starter.
So the option that the Titans have now is to bring Levis back, add a rookie in the draft and also sign a veteran quarterback to compete for that important signal-caller spot. Mason Rudolph is not a starter in the NFL and should not be considered for competition in that role.
The downfall to Levis' lack of development so far is the Titans will have to spend draft capital and money to acquire new quarterbacks. But that is OK because most NFL teams only value the starter at the most important position on the field. If the Titans acquired a rookie and a veteran to go along with Levis it would insulate the position and give options to Callahan in 2025.
One of the biggest downfalls of organizations developing QBs is the constant change at head coach and offensive coordinator, with constant change in the philosophy of the organization in regard to talent and scheme. Most organizations still expect the quarterback to have ultimate success among all the personnel changes and philosophy. Levis in Year 2 is already on his second head coach and second offensive coordinator.
The options for the Titans at QB.
Plan A: All three must happen to ensure long-term viability at the position
1. Will Levis comes back and competes for the spot.
2. Add a veteran like Kirk Cousins through a trade or Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency.
3. Add a rookie in the second round.
Plan B: There is significant risk here because Hooker hasn’t started since he was at UT and with him being a local favorite Levis won’t have much of a chance.
1. Will Levis comes back and competes for the spot.
2. Trade for Hendon Hooker from the Lions, that will require a third.
Plan C: None of the quarterbacks in this draft are franchise-changing QB’s. All come with risk. But teams without a QB will need to take one high.
1. Will Levis comes back and competes for the spot.
2. Draft a first-round QB that is ready to step in Year 1 and start.
Plan D: Lower risk and brings in a familiar face for Callahan that will compete.
1. Will Levis comes back and competes for the spot.
2. Titans trade for Bengals backup Jake Browning, which would require a mid-round selection.
3. Draft a QB in the second round
None of these options are attractive but this is where the Titans are at the QB position. And there is no guarantee the Lions would part with Hooker or the Bengals would deal Browning.
The options are slim in free agency. Only Sam Darnold and maybe Jimmy Garoppolo have had success as starters.
The trade market has some interesting targets.
Atlanta Falcons' starting QB, Kirk Cousins, is 36 years old and has three years left on his contract with an out clause after the 2025 season. The Falcons drafted Michael Penix in the first round in 2024 and need to get him on the field sooner rather than later.

Cousins will be expensive, but the Titans are set up for him to have success with Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard coming back next season. It won’t cost much from a draft-choice standpoint because of the amount of salary the Titans will need to pay. Cousins has a no-trade clause in his contract and most likely would turn down the Titans after their noncompetitive 2024 season.
If it was any other organization than Tennessee, I would attempt to trade for Hooker from Detroit. Hooker is going into Year 3 and is ready to play now, something he won’t do behind Jared Goff. I worry about the pressure from the UT fans who are also Titan fans pushing for him to play.
It would require no less than a third-rounder which is what the Lions spent on him in 2023. (The Titans don’t have a third-rounder because of the L’Jarius Sneed trade.) Hooker also fits the Titans’ offense and can push the ball downfield to Ridley and others.
If the Titans went into the draft, they would need to select a QB in the second round at the latest, but this group of college quarterbacks is a gamble from top to bottom and very few would be ready to compete in 2025.
Cam Ward, Drew Allar, Quinn Ewers and Cade Klubnik would all be solid second-round picks with upside. Ward will most likely go in the first round, but his value is more of a late first/ early second-rounder. The temptation to trade up to the bottom of the first round will be strong for the Titans so they can lock in another year with the fifth-year option for first-rounders.
Will the Titans value Hooker over Allar, Ewers and Klubnik? Hooker is ready to play now while those three will take time but have a bigger ceiling. A healthy competition is key, but the direction that the organization is going in is also important.
A rebuild would require drafting their next quarterback. Wanting to win now would mean a trade and adding significant free agents to the roster. I see this team in a rebuild and without a QB, they are just in the beginning.
Best things I saw:
*Titans linebacker Luke Gifford with a clean interception on a ball that was close to the ground did a good job getting his hand underneath it to keep it off the ground and set up the Titans’ first touchdown.
GIFFORD'S GOT IT @luke_gifford
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 15, 2024
📺: Watch #CINvsTEN on @NFLonFOX stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/3JWECyTYAG
*Callahan resisted the temptation to pass on the goal line on their first drive. Instead, he called running plays which ended up being successful because Pollard was so productive the entire drive. That is showing some growth as a playcaller for Callahan.
Worst things I saw:
*Having Jeffrey Simmons line up as a lead blocker at fullback. He got jacked up by the Bengals’ defensive end on the lead block. Unless he just comes straight forward to clean out a gap it is a waste to have him block on the edge or on wide runs. The potential of getting hurt is high for a player doing something he isn’t accustomed to doing.
*Jeffrey Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat were out of the game on a critical third and short. The Bengals easily ran it up the middle for a first down that kept a drive alive and ended up scoring a touchdown later on that drive.
Keep an eye on:
*When rookie linebacker James Williams came into the game, the Bengals went right after him on two straight pass plays. Matching Ja’Marr Chase on Williams for an 11-yard gain and then matching Williams in coverage versus Sam Hubbard who was aligned as a tight end for a touchdown.
*Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard was hurt on the touchdown catch and was out for the game with a knee injury. Coaches can’t help getting cute and putting defensive players in for goal-line situations when they are paid very well to do something else.
*The Bengals' defense on third-and-long decided to take their best pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson, and instead of putting him on the edge where he has gotten all 12 of his NFL-leading sacks, put him at inside linebacker. He was easily blocked well before the pass. I’m not sure what coaches are thinking these days, but I am seeing too much of it.
*I thought the loss of Gifford (concussion) was noticeable. I don’t think he is a starting inside linebacker but he has shown he is a solid backup and good special teams player.
I feel good about:
*Arden Key was getting constant pressure but couldn’t finish off his pass rush allowing Joe Burrow to escape numerous times.
*Also, on a critical third down right after Key had two successful rushes and forced the Bengal left tackle to false start, the Titans put James Lynch at DE and Key next to him an DT over the guard, indicating a long developing pass-rush twist which gave Burrow just enough time to complete a pass for a first down. Don’t change things if it is working especially against a young, inexperienced left tackle.
*Simmons was a force late for the Titans and that is good to see that he can be impactful, but it takes him a while to get going in games. I like the late-game impact but need it earlier while the game still matters.
*Willams was active and productive, despite giving up a few big receptions. He is learning.
*Chig Okonkwo was a major contributor and big part of the game plan.
*T’Vondre Sweat had a stretch of pushing the pocket, disrupting and also stripping the ball away from the Bengals for a nice turnover.
366-pound T'Vondre Sweat wanted to show off his RB skills 😂
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
📺: #CINvsTEN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/sgeC2DADlT
*Chidobe Awuzie was beaten a few times by Chase on deep verticals. Awuzie has never been known for his speed, but Chase got good separation.
I don’t feel good about:
*Twenty-six false starts by the Titans lead the league this year.
*Another RPO and QB run for Levis, with a QB that has a hurt AC joint on his throwing shoulder. Result: fumble by Levis. And slammed to the ground on that right shoulder.
*Three turnovers for Levis in the first half, and before he was taken out of the game, he had one fumble and three interceptions to complete the day.
*Levis was off all day, throwing behind or high to the receivers the entire first half. He made multiple receivers adjust to make what should have been easy catches.
ooooo @MikeHilton_28 wanted it#CINvsTEN on FOX pic.twitter.com/lWfbRjFuOa
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 15, 2024
*Rudolph came in and just took the check downs, safe plays, not putting his team in a position to come back in the game but not forcing the ball either.
*Jarvis Brownlee was talking trash to the premier receiver in the league, Chase. Chase ended the game with nine receptions for 94 yards. The rookie needs to learn who to talk to.
Looking ahead:
Don’t be fooled by Rudolph’s end-of-game stats. It looked good on paper, but most were check-downs against a defense that was giving up the underneath catches. Rudolph is a backup and the Titans need to return to Levis for the remainder of the season.
Stock:
Positives: Arden Key, Chig Okonkwo, T’Vondre Sweat, Luke Gifford
Negatives: Will Levis, constant false starts on the offensive line, 12 penalties for 110 yards.