Buckle up, because there's about to be a quarterback controversy. The Tennessee Titans are coming out of their bye week and heading into a Week 6 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, who also have an intriguing quarterback situation of their own, at the moment.
Will Levis, of course, exited last week's Monday Night Football matchup against the Miami Dolphins after suffering a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Levis did not return, and Mason Rudolph came in to lead the team to their first victory of the season.
Now a week removed from the injury, fans want to know the latest on Levis' status. Head coach Brian Callahan spoke to reporters on Monday and revealed that Levis is not going to practice until at least Wednesday, and when he does practice, he will not be without pain.
Additionally, when referring to whether or not Levis will play against the Colts in Week 6, Callahan had this to say:
“It’s gonna be a process during the week of getting comfortable. I mean, it’s probably not gonna be pain free. It’s just the nature of the throwing shoulder injury, and you do your best to manage it."
The head coach went on to essentially say that, if Levis is feeling good enough to play, he's going to allow it.
“As long as he feels he can do his job then he’s gonna go do it," Callahan stated.
Well, alrighty then. If Levis feels like he can go out there and play, he's going to play. But, here's the problem: a healthy Will Levis was never a great option to begin with; at least, that's what he's shown through the first quarter of the season.
Brian Callahan must keep Will Levis on a short leash following his shoulder injury
Look, the Titans wouldn't have signed Mason Rudolph and then shipped off Malik Willis in a trade if they didn't firmly believe in the former's backup ability. Rudolph has shown he can come in and win games as a backup quarterback, and he's done it with multiple organizations now.
If Levis isn't fully healthy in Week 6, he shouldn't be playing. That seems too logical of a take, though. We are talking about his throwing shoulder, right?
I mean, what are we even doing here, coach?
Whether or not Levis is healthy shouldn't matter. If Callahan allows him to start against the Colts, and he struggles, there cannot be any more excuses. The leash must be shortened. It's still early enough in the season where a quarterback change might just turn things around for this team.
If Rudolph can manage the game well, the Titans can commit to the run and play strong defense, that might be enough to compete. Levis' turnover-prone tendencies have done enough damage, already. This cannot be allowed to snowball.
Rudolph is here for a reason, period.