11 months ago the Tennessee Titans drafted Kentucky quarterback Will Levis in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Since then he has done everything that fans could have asked and more.
The 2023 season was a disaster for the Titans because Mike Vrabel and Ran Carthon couldn't figure out what to do with the roster. It was clearly time for a rebuild, but they couldn't make the tough choice to move on from guys like Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, Denico Autry, and Kevin Byard before the season started.
Now all four of those guys are gone and the only thing that the Titans got in return was the 5th and 6th round picks that they got when they traded Byard. Knowing that, it is hard to look back on the 2023 season without getting aggravated at the lack of understanding in the building.
One of the few bright spots from that season was the trio of rookies who flashed some great things. Peter Skoronski had some good games in an up-and-down year, Tyjae Spears looked like a legit playmaker, but it was Will Levis who stole the stage.
Fans didn't get to see a lot of Levis in the preseason because of a minor leg injury, so no one knew what to expect when he took over for an injured Ryan Tannehill. You can imagine their surprise when he dominated the Atlanta Falcons and reminded everyone of how fun DeAndre Hopkins could be.
Over the course of the season, he had highlight plays in every game, but those can sometimes be forgotten because he had to peel himself off the floor too many times because of the Andre Dillard/Jaelyn Duncan catastrophe at left tackle.
After the season ended, things changed for the Titans and Will Levis officially became the future of the quarterback position in Tennessee. It was one thing to come off the bench and take over the starting job in the middle of a lost season, but now Levis has to deal with the responsibilities beyond the field that come with being a starting quarterback.
Can Will Levis be the guy for the Tennessee Titans off the field
There have been hints of him doing that, including when Brian Callahan mentioned that Will Levis was working out at the Tennessee Titans facility on the day of his press conference.
Today, Jim Wyatt gave an inside look into just how involved Levis is with this team right now.
As it turns out, Levis asked the coaching staff and front office to give him the phone number of any free agent signing so he can reach out and make contact as soon as possible. When the Titans signed Calvin Ridley, Ran Carthon said that Will Levis was the first person that they called after the deal was completed (after Amy Adams Strunk).
"We talked to Calvin, then we talked to Miss Amy," Carthon said. "And then, literally, Will was our next call. We're keeping him in the loop. And Will was super excited about it. He was happy to have him. He's excited about what we're doing."
We are going to get a lot of hype around Levis being a leader, and that is much better than the alternative even if it seems over the top at some points. Levis has shown that he can lead a team on the field, just look at the Miami Dolphins game if you need any clue about that. What he needs to do and what fans need to hear, is that he is being a good leader when there aren't games being played.
The franchise's future is on his shoulders, so the more content we get about him being mature and him being a great teammate, the better it is for the Tennessee Titans going forward.