The Tennessee Titans will likely have interest in at least bringing in competition for quarterback Will Levis this offseason. Honestly, they could end up looking to replace him if the right opportunity presents itself.

Levis has been unable to prove that he can be a long-term franchise quarterback.

In his second season, he has had a rollercoaster year. Levis has had some major highs, but when things have been bad they have been really bad.

Throughout the course of the 2024 campaign, Levis has played in 10 games. He has completed 63.6 percent of his pass attempts for 1,827 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

He has done a good job of limiting the turnover problems that he had earlier in the year. Over his last five games since returning from a shoulder injury, Levis has thrown just two interceptions.

All of that being said, the Titans would be wise to look into bringing another talented quarterback onto the roster.

With that in mind, one clear-cut option could be to sign current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields.

Fields began the season as the Steelers’ starter. Of course, Russell Wilson was out due to injury, but the young quarterback took advantage of his limited time to start. He looked like a much-improved version of himself.

In the six starts that he did make, Fields looked great. As a whole this season, he has played in nine games. In those apperances, he has completed 65.8 percent of his pass attempts for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception.

As he has been throughout his career, Fields was a threat on the ground as well, racking up 281 yards and five touchdowns.

At just 25 years old and 26 at the start of the 2025 season, Fields still has time to become a franchise quarterback for a team. Tennessee should strongly consider bringing him in and letting him battle with Levis for the starting job.

Right now, the Titans have nothing to lose. They’re far from being a Super Bowl contender and they need to find a franchise quarterback. It would be better to sign Fields and see what he’s got than to burn a top draft pick on a signal caller.

All of that being said, Tennessee might not have any interest in Fields. However, if they’re open to the idea of signing a young quarterback with potential like Fields, they should make it happen. He might just end up being a long-term answer under center.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

If the Cincinnati Bengals are going to go on a run and make the final weeks of the 2024-25 season interesting, it’s going to require a strong showing in Nashville.

The Bengals (5-8) eked out a primetime win Monday against the Dallas Cowboys and have a quick turnaround for Sunday’s game against the struggling Tennessee Titans (3-10) at Nissan Stadium (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

It’s another high-stakes outing for Cincinnati, which is looking to run the table over the last five weeks of the regular season in hopes of making a push for the playoffs and avoiding the franchise’s first losing season since 2020.

Sunday’s matchup is also the Bengals’ first run-in with ex-offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, now the Titans head coach. Callahan’s bona fides are being challenged by media members and fans in Nashville after his club’s 3-10 start, but he’ll always be linked to one of the most successful eras in Bengals history.

Just don’t let Callahan sneak up and use his familiarity with Cincinnati to score an upset on Sunday.

That, along with these factors discussed below, are the three keys to the Bengals-Titans game:

Beat a Tennessee Titans team you’re supposed to beat

The Bengals (minus-5) are favored to beat Tennessee, according to BetMGM NFL Odds. But forget about what Las Vegas says about the game for a minute and consider the realities of the two teams.

The Titans on Sunday lost to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, sans injured quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Backup quarterback Mac Jones led a (kind of) stirring Jags’ comeback via 10 unanswered fourth quarter points. That was enough to win, 10-6, against a Titans team that managed just two field goals in the game.

Yes, the Titans have a highly-ranked defense. They’ve also had 30 points, 34 points, 52 points and 42 points dropped on them by the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders. The Bengals should be able to find their opportunities against this team, in other words.

The Bengals’ playoff chances are remote but they’re real, so Cincinnati is actually still playing for something. Cincinnati’s offense alone should be enough to outlast a Titans offense that’s eclipsed 30 points just once in 2024.

Winning is fun, for the team and the fans. Being even remotely relevant to the postseason discussion keeps things interesting, and no one wants to think about the possibility of four dead-rubber games to close out 2024.

This is simply a game the Bengals can and should find a way to win. Fail to do so, and they’ll be deserving recipients of all the criticism and apathy they’ll receive in the event of a loss.

Finally play complementary football for 60 minutes

Over the last two games, the Bengals have addressed special teams concerns with the kicking game − and notably with two different kickers − and improved their tackling week-over-week from the Dec. 1 defensive debacle against the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Monday Night Football win over the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cincinnati offense has been buzzing all season, so with some answers provided in other areas of recent games, can the Bengals finally put it all together and produce a complete, 60-minute performance? That needs to be the aim at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. The blocked punt late at Dallas by former Bengal Nick Vigil almost proved catastrophic for Cincinnati. But for the Cowboys fumbling the blocked punt back to the Bengals, we might have been looking at four truly meaningless games to close out the season. We’d all have been getting a jump on the conversation about draft position.

As thing stand, there’s plenty for Cincinnati to play for even as the playoffs remain the most remote of possibilities. Now, they just need to fix the punting side of the special teams unit for the game in Nashville. Let’s see the Bengals put together a clean, 60-minute outing with minimal miscues.

‘Cornerstone’ Bengals players need to continue to step forward

After the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Burrow said he’d be watching intently to see which of his teammates fit into the plans for 2025 and beyond. And don’t kid yourself − we’re well past the time when the Bengals need to be thinking about who fits the future of the on-field product and who needs to pack up their locker room stall and move on.

Answers to a question put to Burrow about which players are the cornerstones of the franchise have started to emerge.

Obviously, we have Burrow himself and Ja’Marr Chase. Burrow’s also identified Tee Higgins as an apparent cornerstone who he simply does not want to part with. That’s notable because most expected Higgins would surely be gone after his 2024 season playing under the franchise tag, but Burrow seems to think there’s a path to keeping Higgins in Cincinnati.

Running back Chase Brown not only has Burrow’s public backing as a key player after a string of solid outings recently but has put up the statistics and explosive, game-breaking plays to back his own case.

Defensively, Joseph Ossai has strung together some interesting stats in recent weeks, posting a sack in three straight games. That’s noteworthy for a team where most of the pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been delivered by Trey Hendrickson.

This isn’t to say the Bengals should build around Ossai, but the point is that players who aren’t mailing it in, are stepping up and performing in the face of a disappointing season deserve major credit, and a hard look from the front office. These are the kind of character pieces you’d want in your locker room.

What would really be interesting would be a secondary player emerging from the rubble of what has consistently been a poor Bengals pass defense. The Bengals pass defense ranks 26th in yards (3,194), 27th in touchdowns allowed (24), and 20th in passing plays of 40-plus yards conceded (seven).

With so many holes to fill for 2025, it would be helpful to see one or two players step forward in the secondary to help alleviate the personnel needs going forward. The Titans game would be an opportune moment for someone − anyone − to throw their name into the mixer there.

As someone who’s spent over a decade helping families navigate the complexities of college financial planning, I’ve never seen a situation that better illustrates the changing landscape of higher education than Tennessee State University’s recent $43 million emergency funding package. If you’re a parent saving for your child’s education or a student planning your academic future, this situation offers crucial lessons about college planning in 2024 and beyond

The Wake-Up Call We All Needed

When I first read about Tennessee State’s situation in Higher Ed Dive’s comprehensive coverage, the numbers stopped me in my tracks. The university’s first-year enrollment plummeted from 3,500 students to just 880 – a decline so severe it threatened the institution’s very existence. According to Tennessee’s State Comptroller’s office, this led to the layoff of 114 employees and required emergency intervention to keep the university operating.

But here’s what really caught my attention as a financial advisor: this wasn’t just another COVID story.

Why This Crisis Matters for Your Family

Through my conversations with hundreds of families about college planning, I’ve noticed that most focus primarily on saving enough money. While that’s crucial, Tennessee State’s situation reveals why we need to think more broadly about protecting our educational investments. Here’s what the data tells us:

The Demographic Cliff Is Real

According to Deloitte’s 2024 Higher Education Trends report and verified enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, we’re approaching a significant demographic cliff. Peak enrollment of traditional college-age students is predicted as soon as 2025. This isn’t just a statistic – it’s a fundamental shift that could affect your child’s college experience and your family’s financial planning.

Financial Warning Signs Matter

The Tennessee State situation revealed several verified red flags that families should watch for when evaluating any university:

• Documentation from state auditors showed the university allocated one-time funds for ongoing student aid without sustainable planning
• Public records confirmed the institution struggled to honor scholarship commitments
• Federal financial reports indicated depleted emergency funds without adequate replacement strategies

Protecting Your Family’s College Investment

Based on my analysis of Tennessee State’s documented challenges and extensive discussions with education finance experts, here’s how to better protect your family’s college investment:

1. Research Financial Health

Don’t just look at the college’s sticker price. Use these verified resources:

2. Create a Backup Plan

In my experience advising families, those who fare best in uncertain situations have multiple contingency plans:

• Research transfer pathways between your chosen school and potential backup institutions
• Consider tuition insurance (typically 1-5% of tuition) to protect against unexpected withdrawals
• Understand your state’s credit transfer guarantees between public institutions

3. Monitor Warning Signs

Stay informed about your chosen institution’s health by tracking:

• Enrollment trends (available through the Common Data Set)
• State funding levels (public records for state institutions)
• News about faculty staffing and program changes

Looking Ahead

When I started my college career, the conversation focused primarily on saving and scholarships. Today, as Tennessee State’s situation demonstrates, we need a more comprehensive approach to protect our educational investments.

The traditional metrics of college selection – rankings, campus amenities, and historical reputation – still matter. However, as confirmed by Deloitte’s research and the experiences of institutions nationwide, families need to prioritize an institution’s financial sustainability and ability to deliver consistent educational value.