It was a big surprise in 2023 when quarterback Will Levis fell all the way down to the second round. He was widely expected to be a first-round pick, but in hindsight, it's easy to see why NFL teams weren't high on him.
In two seasons with the Tennessee Titans, he's 5-16 as a starter and has thrown 21 touchdowns to 16 interceptions. His numbers aren't the worst for a young quarterback but he's made a series of baffling plays that a team doesn't want to see from a starting quarterback.
Even if the Titans don't choose to use the No. 1 pick on a quarterback, Levis is going to have a hard time sticking with the team.
Nick Shook of NFL.com ranked Levis as the 33rd best-starting quarterback from the 2024 season and suggested that he's already done in Tennessee.
"This was the season when Levis was supposed to show the Titans he could be the guy. In the end, he showed them he could ... be the turnover guy," Shook wrote. "Levis self-sabotaged frequently enough to get benched in favor of Mason Rudolph and drive the Titans back into the quarterback market in 2025, and even after his encouraging mid-season stretch, I only see him returning to their lineup as a camp battle winner -- and even then, it feels like his days in Nashville are numbered."
It may be premature to give up on Levis already unless the Titans draft a quarterback at No. 1. If they do let him go, there will be another team willing to take a chance on him.
Titans Urged to Cut Former First Round Pick
The Tennessee Titans have made a few poor decisions over the past few years, which is why they now find themselves at 3-14 with the worst record in the NFL.
The Titans hired Kansas City Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi to replace Ran Carthon as the team's newest GM, and he will be tasked with reversing many of these questionable calls made over the years.
The Athletic insider Joe Rexrode believes one of those decisions could be cutting 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks.
"The designated replacement for AJ Brown, the other side of one of the worst personnel moves in franchise history and one of the worst in recent NFL memory, needs a fresh start," Rexrode writes.
"And the Titans need to stop waiting for him to be a factor. The 2022 first-round pick has been banged up, playing in 27 of 51 possible games. He hasn’t done much with his opportunities — 53 catches for 699 yards and one touchdown. His 2025 cap hit and the dead number if the Titans move on from him are the same, $4.6 million. That’s worth moving on and rebuilding the receiving corps around Calvin Ridley."
Burks has been more well-known for the fact that he was the returning player in the Brown trade than his actual work on the field, which is troublesome. Burks spent most of this past season on injured reserve, which doesn't bode well for his chances to make an impact on the team next season.
Burks has just one year left on his contract before his fifth-year player option that won't get picked up, so it may be worth it for the Titans to give him one last chance to impress before hitting free agency, but it won't be a surprise if Tennessee moves on.
