The Tennessee Titans entered the 2024 season looking to find out whether Will Levis was their quarterback of the future. Fast forward to December, and it looks like they already have an answer as they're benching the sophomore signal-caller in favor of Mason Rudolph. This decision should give the Jacksonville Jaguars an edge when they face their division foe in Week 17.
Rudolph will be making his fifth start of the season when the Jags play the Titans in Week 17. What's notable is that head coach Brian Callahan is sticking with him despite the fact that the fifth-year quarterback was underwhelming in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Heading into the Colts game, Callahan justified the switch at quarterback by saying that Rudolph gave his team the best chance to win. This doesn't bode well for Levis, as Tennessee is already eliminated from playoff contention, and his veteran counterpart isn't much better than him.
However, the Titans may not want to give the impression that they still think Levis is their long-term answer behind center by giving him more playing time. Thus, benching him could be a sign that they're ready to move on from him.
Levis was seen as a potential first-round pick in last year's draft but ultimately slid to Round 2. Looking back, it's easy to see why. Even though he has the arm talent to make all kinds of throws, he lacks the pocket awareness to succeed at the NFL level, having gotten sacked a concerning 40 times in just 11 games this season.
In Callahan's defense, he inherited Levis but gave him every single chance to seize the job full-time. Once the head coach realized it wasn't going to work out, he made the decision to bench the former Kentucky Wildcat.
Facing Mason Rudolph will give the Jaguars an edge vs. the Titans
The Jacksonville Jaguars are currently a 1-point favorite against the Tennessee Titans, and the line probably won't move much even after the news that Mason Rudolph will get the starting nod. As noted before, Rudolph is not precisely an upgrade over Will Levis, but unlike his younger counterpart, he might have already reached his ceiling.
A third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018, Rudolph has been a backup-caliber player throughout his career. In seven years, he's appeared in 27 games with 17 starts and completed 63.6 percent of his throws for 4,352 yards with 27 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
Rudolph joined the Titans as a free agent earlier this year and is not much more than a stopgap at this stage of his career. This is great news for a Jaguars team that is looking to finish the season strong. Sure, losing would increase their odds of getting a higher pick and a better position in the 2025 draft.
On the other hand, they've already beaten Tennessee once, and sweeping their division rival would be a bright spot in what's been a disappointing season.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars will be looking to hand the Titans their 13th loss of the season, and having to face Mason Rudolph will increase their chances of doing so.