Titans QB Battle Isn't Decided Yet

The Tennessee Titans’ backup quarterback duel continues on.

Aug 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis (7) throws the ball late in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Gower-USA TODAY Sports / Casey Gower-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Titans signed former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph to give former third-round pick Malik Willis competition for the QB2 spot. And after the first two preseason games, both quarterbacks have led fairly pedestrian offenses and leave the spot as wide open as it's always been. 

Rudolph is currently holding that second quarterback spot and has had a touch more of playing time. With that, he has led the Titans to more points than Willis with a lot of thanks to kicker Brayden Narveson. With that, Rudolph has completed less than 60% of his passes and has had struggles finding a rhythm with some bad turnovers.

What goes in Rudolph’s favor is his experience. He is 8-4-1 as a starter and has a playoff start under his belt. Compared to Willis, who started just three games in his career. He went 1-2, but those games are hard to take into account because he was thrown into the fire when he was not ready to take that kind of workload. 

With that said Willis has been the much more efficient passer. Completing 73.9 percent of his passes and added a lot more on the ground than Rudolph has. With a higher completion rate, Willis does have a lower passer rating by 18 points. 

The advantage for Willis is that he fits the offense better than Rudolph with his scrambling ability and big arm. 

The Titans have a big decision to make. With all the free agents added, it appears that the goal for this season is to push for the division crown and make the playoffs. If that is the case, Rudolph is the answer at quarterback. No quarterback has made a fine case for the job and Rudolph’s experience outweighs any projection Willis may have. 

If the team starts to struggle and needs to see what they have, Willis is the perfect person to turn to. 

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