Titans find Cam Ward the perfect backup QB option, speeding up the timeline on Will Levis’ future at the beginning of free agency
Mitch Trubisky is signing with the Titans. What does it mean for Will Levis in 2026?
NFL Free Agency is underway, and the first new player GM Mike Borgonzi is making a Tennessee Titan is his new backup quarterback. Former Bills QB Mitch Trubisky is signing a 2-year deal with the Titans, per Mike Garafolo.
Here’s what it means for the two QBs already on the roster: Cam Ward and Will Levis.
Mitch Trubisky is perfect backup for Cam Ward
I have been a longtime proponent of the idea that backup QB is one of the most underrated positions on good teams, and one of the most overrated positions on bad ones. You have to know who you are and where you are in your team-building cycle. This is why last year I was supportive of the decision to roll with low-end backup Brandon Allen, who proved in the final game of the year that he isn’t the kind of player you can really lean on to keep you above water in a pinch. The heart of last year’s mission was Cam Ward in Year 1; without him in the lineup, wins did this franchise little good in the long run.
With new head coach Robert Saleh taking over for Ward’s promising Year 2 campaign, the bar has risen. Three wins in consecutive years is rock bottom, and the expectation is going to be at least a clear step forward this fall. That means having a backup more capable of taking over in as a spot-starter, and in my opinion, Trubisky is the perfect tier of backup for where this team is at. He’s 31 years old and is 17-12 as a starter, most of which is from 2018 in Chicago when he went 11-3.
So 6-9 since then is a lot less flashy, but his time in Buffalo received generally positive marks. He’s not a guy you want having to take over for a month, but he is somebody you can send in on a moment’s notice in a game and maintain hope of winning. That’s the sweet spot for these Titans.
Will Levis’s NFL future is with a new team, but who?
Perhaps the most interesting part of this development is what it means for the QB on this team that we haven’t seen throw a football since early last summer. Will Levis was on the trade block for much of last offseason until he made the decision to get AC joint surgery on his shoulder early in training camp.
That put him on the shelf for the season, but he’s now healthy and back to training. My understanding has been that all parties involved have remained interested in a trade if one materialized, and this move to sign Trubisky only reinforces that idea.
What will he garner in a trade? With no recent tape on him, it’s hard to gauge value. I find it hard to believe he’d fetch a top-100 pick, but a mid-to-early Day 3 pick could make sense. As for where he lands, there are plenty of teams who could use a backup. The Buccaneers have always stood out to me as a reasonable landing spot. Wherever he is, it seems clear that won’t be with the Titans. You just have to hope they can get something of value for him in a trade…
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