As four signal-callers compete for limited roster spots, Robert Saleh signals a busy preseason for Tennessee's quarterbacks while trade rumors swirl around former starter Will Levis.
The Tennessee Titans are one step closer to training camp with the start of OTAs.
The players took the field on Thursday, including all the quarterbacks on the Titans' roster.
Tennessee currently has four quarterbacks on its roster, with Cam Ward, Mitchell Trubisky, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker all featured.
Ward is obviously set to reprise his role as the starter, but there's uncertainty about how many quarterbacks Robert Saleh is going to keep.
Trubisky has the most experience as a starter and a backup over Levis and Hooker. Levis started for the Titans in 2023 and 2024, and while he showed a lot of promise, that promise quickly faded after seeing the poor decisions he made on the field.
Levis missed all of the last season after shoulder surgery and hasn't play a snap of football since.
Hooker comes to the Titans after being the backup for the Detroit Lions. Tennessee Volunteers fans know him well after his great college career there.
With all of those quarterbacks, it could be tough for the Titans to let them all get ample playing time in the preseason. Ward should definitely get his minutes, but it may not make sense for all of them to play, since the Titans won't keep all of them on the roster.
Saleh wasn't worried about that at his press conference on Thursday. He revealed that the team plans to play all quarterbacks, but that is subject to change, per Titans Insider Jim Wyatt.
Just by looking at the state of the quarterback room, Trubisky is the favorite to win the backup role. After the Titans added Hooker, it became clear that the franchise may be ready to move on from Levis.
Hooker has never been a starter, so a realistic expectation for him is either a backup or practice squad role.
The question with Levis is, how much would the Titans get if they traded him? He's still on his rookie deal, which is worth $9.5 million per Spotrac. His contract doesn't expire until 2027.
If the Titans release Levis after June 1, it would free up $2.2 million in dead cap. If they trade him, the team would free up $984K. So, not much money would come from either decision.
However, it may be better for the Titans to seek some form of draft compensation for him. If Levis impresses in the preseason, it could increase his value before a trade.
If the Titans aren't ready to move on from Levis, then why bring on Hooker? We could very well see Trubisky and Hooker as the backups, or even have the Tennessee product on the practice squad as the quarterback.
For now, it seems all quarterbacks are seeing the field in the preseason.
