One month ago, Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis was an afterthought when it came to the future of the organization.
His reckless play at the beginning of the 2024 regular season soured the media and fanbase alike on his ability to be a franchise quarterback. The shoulder injury that followed all but sealed his fate as the Titans began climbing in the projected 2025 NFL Draft order.
Even today, Tennessee is on track to have the second overall pick in the upcoming draft, positioning them to replace Levis with a top prospect of the next rookie class.
But over the last two weeks, Levis has been healthy and looking like a different quarterback entirely. He has protected the football, created explosive plays with his arm and legs, and showed significant signs of improvement. The growth is real and like it or not, it leaves the door open for Will Levis to be the Titans' future at quarterback.
Gradual 2024 Improvement
Now hear what I'm saying. I'm not asking anyone to anoint Levis for two decent games in which Tennessee is 0-2...But I am asking everyone to look objectively at where Levis is as a young quarterback and be open to a world where he continues ascending.
Think about where the fanbase was with Levis before the 2024 season. I think a vast majority of Titans fans and media members would have leaned on the optimistic side, especially with a QB guru as the new head coach and the flashes we saw in his rookie year.
While the start of the season was rough, Levis showed gradual improvement from Weeks 1-3 as the Titans tried to iron out some issues with turnovers and careless decision making.
His passer rating was at 52.5 against the Chicago Bears, and sequentially jumped up to 84.2 and 92.8 against the Packers and Jets. Those last two totals are both on par or better than his passer rating for the season as a rookie (84.2).
Levis was a work in progress, but looked to be headed in the right direction. Then a shoulder injury derailed that progress in Miami. Levis tried to return too early against the Colts, but was too injured to make the necessary plays. At way less than 100 percent, his pitiful performance against Indianapolis seemed to be the final straw for most Titans fans. The jury was in and it was time to move on...not so fast.
In two games since returning, a healthy Will Levis has a passer rating of 103.1. That would be the 6th best in the NFL this season. He has completed 64.8 percent of his passes, thrown for 470 yards, thrown four touchdowns, ran for 59 yards, and only turned the ball over once. The sole turnover was a desperation deep ball as time was running out against the Vikings.
Levis is doing just about everything Brian Callahan has asked him to do. With seven games left to go this season, I think Levis can still earn himself the starting job in 2025 if his development continues.
2025 and Beyond
Are we going to come away from the 2024 season knowing for certain that Levis is the guy? Probably not. That's unfortunate seeing as it was the most important question the Titans needed to answer this year.
But I do think he can buy himself another year. That's especially true if Tennessee doesn't end up with a draft pick that gives them first crack at a quarterback in the draft. Win a couple games against the Jaguars, and all of a sudden that Titans may be looking at a worse draft pick with some uninspiring QB options.
Can Levis do enough to convince Carthon & Callahan that he is a better option for the team in 2025 than...Sam Darnold? Drew Lock? Justin Fields? Without a doubt there is still time for that and if the door is still open for Levis in 2025, then the door is still open for Levis in 2026 and beyond.
You hired Brian Callahan to develop the quarterback and build a prolific offense and Levis has still not played a full 17 games. He has 2,977 passing yards, 222 rushing yards, 16 total touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 16 career games. In two of those games, Levis has played less than 15 snaps due to injury. That makes it more like 14 career regular season games played.
By the end of the 2025 season, Levis may have started up to 24 more football games with a healthy body. There's no telling where he might be in his development at that point.
All I'm saying is that it's too early to be out. There is still hope for Levis to be the franchise quarterback Titans fans are clamoring for. Right now I like what I see...but how long will that last? That's the questions that looms for the next seven weeks.
