NASHVILLE – Titans Coach Brian Callahan made it clear at the start of training camp he planned to let quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Malik Willis battle it out for the No.2 job behind starter Will Levis.
Two things have been evident since:
-Willis has improved, and he looks more comfortable than he's ever been in the NFL.
-So far, Rudolph hasn't left a crack in the door for Willis to pass him. The veteran quarterback has been remarkably accurate in the first seven practices of training camp, and he looks poised to win the back-up job.
On Sunday, Callahan was asked if the team has given some thought to letting Willis work with the second-team offense in practices, something Rudolph has consistently done.
Callahan said the team has discussed it while acknowledging Rudolph doesn't deserve to be demoted.
"The hard part is that Mason's played so well, too," Callahan said. "We wouldn't be moving Malik up because of Mason's performance, we'd just be allowing Malik an opportunity to play with the twos.
"It's hard to elevate Malik and demote Mason when Mason's played very good football, too. So, it's a good problem to have. Like I said, it helps the rest of group be able to showcase, and they can both operate and manage, and it helps the whole process for guys competing. So that part's been really positive."
So, just how good has Rudolph been?
Well, I've been charting all of the throws – and catches – in training camp.
Unofficially, Rudolph has completed 64-of-76 passes in team and 7-on-7 drills combined – that's a completion percentage of 84.2 percent. Rudolph has thrown one interception, on a pass where there looked to be miscommunication with the receiver.
I have Rudolph 42-of-49 in team drills, which is 85.7 percent, and 22-of-27 in 7-on-7 drills, which is 81.5 percent.
Rudolph's completion percentages are the highest of all three of the team's quarterbacks.
Rudolph isn't keeping track of completion percentages, of course. He's just working hard to keep getting more comfortable every day.
"I'm proud of the way the team is working, even out here with a couple of padded, hot days, back-to-back," Rudolph said on Sunday. "Guys are doing well. I think everyone is getting more used to the new concepts Brian has put in, each and every day. The more reps you have, first time offense, I think we're all starting to feel more comfortable."
A 6-foot-5, 235-pounder, Rudolph signed with the Titans this offseason after playing the previous six seasons with the Steelers, where he played in 21 games, with 13 starts, from 2018-2023.
In his NFL career, Rudolph has completed 291-of-458 passes for 3,085 yards, with 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a career passer rating of 86.9. Rudolph started three games for the Steelers in 2023, when he threw for 719 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Callahan didn't rule out the possibility of Willis working with the twos at some point in practices.
Rudolph and Willis are both expected to get plenty of work in the preseason, behind Levis.
The Titans kick off the preseason on Saturday night against the 49ers at Nissan Stadium.
Callahan said he's been impressed with Rudolph in camp for a number of reasons.
"He plays on time, and then he's got a little bit of gamer to him," Callahan said of Rudolph. "I think when we play in these unscripted periods and he starts to play football, you can see his experience playing football. He's got a plan, and that's a lot of the things we talk about with the quarterback is when you're going up to snap a play, you have to have a plan. Whatever the criteria for the play is, whatever the protection issues are, whatever the route is, knowing the coverage, he just always has a plan at the line of scrimmage. And you see that that comes from playing. You get hit in the mouth a few times, you tend to have a plan. So, that part's been really good.
"It's just his operation and knowing where to go with the ball. And then when he's throwing it, he's thrown it accurate. I mean, he's made some really nice throws over the course of camp, and he's everything that I remember him being having to play against them. So that's been really positive."
