Titans’ Brian Callahan stands by Will Levis: ‘If he’s healthy, he’s going to play’

Titans head coach Brian Callahan is sticking by quarterback Will Levis, saying, “If he’s healthy, he’s going to play.”

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis has not had a good start to the 2024 season. He leads all quarterbacks in interceptions thrown with six. Patrick Mahomes and Anthony Richardson share that spot with him, but Levis was on bye this week and they weren’t. Levis’ 72.8 rating also lands him among the bottom of all starting quarterbacks in the league.

On top of this, Levis has been sacked 15 times this season, more than all but a handful of starting quarterbacks. And still, head coach Brian Callahan says that Levis is the starter when he’s healthy.

Through three games and part of a fourth, Levis has gone 67-for-98 through the air for 604 yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions. His QBR puts him second-to-last in the league, above only Deshaun Watson.

Suffice it to say that Levis’ 2024 campaign has been ugly, which makes it confusing why Callahan would continue to start him.

But here’s the thing: what if Callahan isn’t as blind as we think he is? His quote was, “If he’s good to go, then he’s going to play.” And while Levis is expected to practice this week, what if Callahan leans on that injury to keep Levis on the bench?

He said what he said to appear as if he backed his quarterback, the quarterback he selected to be the starter for 2024. No head coach wants to bail on the guy they thought would lead their team, but sometimes you have to admit when a mistake is made. Maybe Callahan will keep Levis on the bench with his shoulder injury for another week and let Mason Rudolph run the offense again.

You probably shouldn’t hold your breath on that, but it was nice for a moment to consider that Callahan left himself a back door.[lawrence-related id=151741,151719,151704]