Titans Head Coach Robert Saleh Gives Update On QB2 Competition

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 01: Head coach Robert Saleh of the New York Jets reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter in the game at MetLife Stadium on October 01, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) Getty

It’s no secret that Cam Ward will take the field as the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. But as to who will serve as his backup is still up in the air. Who gets that job will be a decision between Will Levis and Mitch Trubisky for Saleh and the rest of the staff.

Titans GM Mike Borgonzi said the battle for third-string quarterback will be a broader deal between who emerges as the best option of a total of 53 players. With that, it seems likely the Titans are intent on carrying a third quarterback throughout the 2026 season, a decision that not every NFL team opts to take.

“Cam (Ward) is our quarterback,” Saleh told reporters. “We’re gonna give Trubisky and Levis opportunities to work for the No. 2 spot.”

Will Levis, Mitch Trubisky Set To Compete For QB2 Spot With Tennessee Titans

For the most part, Levis has been something of a disappointment for a player who was selected by the Titans at pick No. 33 overall in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. For what it’s worth, Tennessee could have gotten an even worse value if they had selected the former Kentucky quarterback within the first 15 picks, like many analysts at the time predicted Levis would be taken off the board.

While Levis impressed throughout the back half of his college career with his athleticism, physical tools and pure arm strength, he lacked as a pure passer.

That caught up to him at the NFL level, and he did not become the franchise quarterback many expected him to be. And, at this point, it looks like that is something that is never going to happen for Levis in Tennessee, or anywhere else, for that matter.

In the same, but also different way, Trubisky also has not evolved into the player he was projected to be, originally selected at second overall by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

While it seems more likely that Trubisky will get the job over Levis, and that Levis will be released or used as a trade option, NFL history has shown that anything can happen and to always expect the unexpected. With this, the Titans preseason becomes that much more interesting to watch.

Titans Appear To Be In A Good Spot Entering Year 2 Of The Cam Ward Era

Backup quarterbacks aside, the Titans have plenty of reason for optimism surrounding their starting signal-caller as he goes into the second year of his professional career.

After finishing out his rookie year with a completion rate of just under 60%, passing for 3,169 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions, the former Miami quarterback seems to have learned a lot of lessons and grown from them after coming on strong toward the end of the 2025 season.

Ward noted situational awareness as one of the biggest areas he’s grown in.

“The biggest thing is situational (awareness),” Ward said when he met with the media. “That’s watching with (offensive coordinator Brian Daboll), it’s not the play or the concept, it’s the why he’s calling the play. It’s the time on the clock and how the game is going.”

It will be interesting to see how he puts all this together on the field when the Titans get to work in the regular season, and how the offense is able to grow as a whole after a disappointing body of work in the 2025 season.

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