NFL Rumors: Will Levis’ Evaluation by Titans ‘Not Complete’ amid Injury, Struggles
Adam WellsNovember 9, 2024
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After missing the last three games due to a shoulder injury, the Tennessee Titans are ready to get another extended look at what Will Levis can do as their starting quarterback.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Titans’ evaluation of Levis as a starter is “not complete” because of his injury but the team is hopeful he gets a “long runway” to prove himself with nine games remaining in the regular season.
Levis’ career up to this point has been a roller coaster, to say the least. He had a thrilling debut with 238 yards and four passing touchdowns in a win over the Atlanta Falcons in his first start in Week 8 as a rookie.
In his final eight starts of the 2023 season, Levis threw a total of four touchdown passes and completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes three times.
The Titans spent their offseason attempting to improve things around Levis with the hope that would help his performance. They hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their head coach, signed Calvin Ridley as a free agent and drafted offensive tackle JC Latham with the No. 7 overall pick.
Despite those additions, Levis did not improve in his first five starts this season. His seven interceptions are tied for seventh-most in the NFL, even though he hasn’t played since Week 6.
Beyond the volume of turnovers committed by Levis, the timing and circumstances around some of them have been the subject of scrutiny. He went into the surrender cobra pose after throwing a pick-six in the fourth quarter of Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.
NFL @NFLBEARS PICK-6 FOR THE LEAD!
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In Week 2 against the New York Jets, Levis attempted to lateral the ball back to Tyjae Spears deep in the red zone as he was being sacked when the Titans were already up 7-0 and could have at least added a field goal to extend their advantage.
After the Jets recovered the fumble, television cameras caught Callahan on the sideline asking Levis “what the f–k are you doing?”
Callahan didn’t hold back in criticizing Levis after the Titans’ 24-17 loss to the Jets.
“It was dumb,” Callahan said. “It was the same exact thing he did last week, and he cost us points in the red zone, and that is what it is. He’s a grownup and he knows better, and so I was really irritated that he cost us three points in a game that we probably needed it.”
Levis continued to start for the Titans until injuring his shoulder in Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts. Mason Rudolph started the past three games, throwing for 721 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Titans are just 2-6 entering Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Their approach for the rest of this season should be evaluating players who can help them win in 2025, particularly Levis since he was a second-round draft pick one year ago.
If Levis keeps struggling like he did before the injury, the Titans will know they need to be in the market for a new quarterback in the offseason.