This wasn't something that I thought I would have to write, but in case you didn't know there is no "panic button" for Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans this season.
That is because Will Levis, and understanding what he can be in the NFL, is the most important thing about the 2024 season for the Titans.
You might think this is coming out of left field, but on Friday, RKW on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville brought this up as a topic on their show late last week (link below).
When do you start hitting the panic button if Will Levis struggles on the practice field this offseason?
— Ramon Kayla & Will (@RamonKaylaWill) May 17, 2024
Discussing the pressure on the #Titans QB this year right now. @1045TheZone https://t.co/ciHkyaaUFB
Now, 104.5 The Zone is the station in Nashville that broadcasts the Tennessee Titans games and they have a very close relationship with the team so they have a different way of thinking about the Titans than most fans or even objective observers.
For them, it doesn't matter if the Titans are 10-0 or 0-10, they want to see the team do everything they can to win the game that week.
However, for the vast majority of Tennessee Titans fans, there was a shift that happened sometime early in the 2023 season. After suffering through the 0-7 stretch to finish out the 2022 campaign and then looking like it was going to be more of the same in 2023, fans could feel that a change needed to happen after the 2023 season.
Around October of 2023, logical fans knew that there were only two things that truly mattered for the rest of the season. The team had to figure out whether or not Will Levis was the quarterback of the future and they had to lose as many games as possible to try to give themselves more draft capital in the hopes of adding the best talent that they could to this roster in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fans who watched saw Will Levis being put in a no-win situation, and still managing to gut out some impressive games like his first game against the Atlanta Falcons, nearly coming back against the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first road game, and the historic comeback against the Miami Dolphins.
That is enough for me to push the chips in on Will Levis for the 2024 season.
He is a second-year quarterback so everything isn't going to be smooth and consistent, but he has shown flashes of greatness and it is up to this coaching staff to get the most out of him.
I have raved about the excellent job that GM Ran Carthon has done this offseason because he has put the team in the best position to figure out if Will Levis can be the franchise quarterback.
By the end of 2024, the Titans should know if Will Levis can be their long-term starter. If he can, great, now it is up to the front office to continue to find ways to make sure that he is properly supported.
If he can't, that is terrible, but you are better off playing him in every game that you can even if you go 0-17 because that will help you make the team better in the offseason.
Either way, there is nothing that Levis can do on the practice field or before the season that could justify anything other than him starting every game that he can in 2024. So put away the panic button and get ready to enjoy a rollercoaster season filled with some really fun highs and some chaotic lows.