Caleb Harris
If we I learned something about the Tennessee Titans this offseason is that they invested in the development of quarterback Will Levis. Tennessee may be entering a new era with a new head coach, and sportsbooks expect the Titans to be the worst team in the AFC South, but that front office hasn’t worked out that way this offseason.
Tennessee handed the fourth-largest free agency contract to former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley and then traded and signed former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to a lucrative four-year contract. The Titans also broke financial records by signing center Lloyd Cushenberry as a free agent, and recently signed former Cincinnati Bengals player Tyler Boyd. The Titans are not acting like a long-term rebuilding franchise. They want to be competitive now.
The most important player when it comes to Tennessee being competitive right now is second-year quarterback Levis. He went 3-6 as a starter during his rookie season, but he was a first-year quarterback trying to lead his team to victory behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines — and at times, he was successful in doing so. The Titans’ double-digit comeback win in Week 14 against the Miami Dolphins was one of the most unlikely comebacks at the NFL in the last two decades. Levis clearly showed flashes of potential, which excited new coach Brian Callahan.
During a recent appearance on “Working with the boysOn the podcast, hosted by former Titans Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, Callahan explained why he believes Levis could be a really good NFL player.
“I feel like there are some really interesting pieces that if we can put it all together, I think we have a chance,” Callahan said. “And obviously I believe in Will Levis, a big reason I took the job is I think he’s capable of being a really good player, and he hasn’t disappointed so far in the offseason program, he’s fantastic. just the way you want it and I’m excited to see what we have. I’ll leave it at that. I think we can put together a competitive football team.”
Earlier in the interview, Callahan talked about working with talented quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow. He was asked what he sees in Levis that compares to these guys.
“The motivation, he has the motivation, he wants to be a great player,” Callahan said. “He wants to do whatever it takes to be a great player. I think one of the cool things about seeing Will play last year in some pretty adverse circumstances is that you saw toughness from him, and I think that’s a common theme with these guys is they all have this innate toughness that guys defend. You know, when you see a quarterback diving for a first down or taking a throw and making a great throw while getting one on the chin, that’s the kind of thing. guy you want to play for. Right? You say, ‘Yeah, this guy can do enough for me to play hard.’ You saw all this stuff recorded last year, you saw his physical talent…”
Callahan said he believes Levis has already proven his toughness to his teammates and now they need to make sure he protects himself as much as possible.
Levis’ debut season was full of ups and downs. His four passing touchdowns in his NFL his debut against the Atlanta Falcons tied an NFL record, and his 10.3 passing yards per attempt ranked first in the NFL. However, Levis’ 58% completion percentage ranked last in the league. Between his toughness and his arm talent, Levis certainly has some things to work on. And now, he also has some established arms to work with. That’s why there’s optimism in Tennessee.
“He has all the traits you look for as far as motivation and determination to be great, and that’s exciting,” Callahan said.
