Harsh reality of Will Levis was identified long ago but largely dismissed as Titans QB struggles continue
The Tennessee Titans unfortunately have a quarterback problem. Will Levis showed promise at times throughout his rookie season. His four-touchdown debut against the Falcons was phenomenal. But since that epic day, Levis has been on a disappointing downward trajectory. It might be time for Titans fans and media to face the harsh reality with Levis. […]
The Tennessee Titans unfortunately have a quarterback problem.
Will Levis showed promise at times throughout his rookie season. His four-touchdown debut against the Falcons was phenomenal. But since that epic day, Levis has been on a disappointing downward trajectory. It might be time for Titans fans and media to face the harsh reality with Levis. He's always shown a propensity to create negative plays that derail drives and lose games, but for some odd reason it's been largely ignored.
The issues that are now plaguing Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans this season were identified earlier this spring in a column written here at A to Z Sports (and far before that, really). However, that initial skepticism surrounding not only Levis' ability to win the big games, but also his mindset and the persona that he portrays was met with much vitriol from both fans and media alike.
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Zach Ragan, a longtime Titans and Vols reporter here at A to Z Sports put it this way back in March of this year when describing Will Levis:
"Will Levis is an actor trying to play a quarterback: Will Levis seems like a good dude. And he seems like he really, really wants to be successful in the NFL. But I'd be shocked if he ever goes beyond the divisional round of the playoffs (I'd really be surprised if he even wins a playoff game). Levis feels like an actor playing a quarterback. It seems like he's always trying to say the right thing and act the right way instead of just being himself. I don't think we've seen the real Will Levis yet. And I'm not even sure Levis knows who the real Will Levis is yet. He's too much of a pleaser to be an elite quarterback. And that's what's ultimately going to prevent him from being a franchise quarterback in Nashville. Levis has the physical tools, but until he plays free and easy without worrying about what people think, he'll fail to reach his full potential."
Jack Gentry, a Titans journalist himself, was one of many who did not like the Will Levis slander, dismissing it (in his post below) as a Vols fan not being able to embrace Levis as a former Kentucky quarterback.
But fandom wasn't really related to the criticism at all. While Ragan's take on Levis' "being an actor" is likely a bit much, the core issue that Titans fans and media simply didn't want to address was spot on.
Anyone who has spent significant time around Levis quickly comes to realize that his passion, drive, and process-oriented pursuit of perfection in football is not an act. It's who he is. Unfortunately though, Levis' passion and drive to make the big play that saves the day on every single snap has gotten him in trouble over the years. Not just with the Titans, but far before that when he was still making plays at Kentucky.
When Levis was in college he would quite often try to force plays that just weren't there, inevitably costing his team games on numerous occasions with costly fumbles and interceptions, as he's struggling with again now in the NFL.
In just 26 career starts, Levis logged 17 fumbles at quarterback for Kentucky (and some minimal time at Penn State). He also threw 25 interceptions, which accounted for 3.4% of all career pass attempts for Levis. The typical early round NFL Draft selection posts an interception rate far, far better than that–in many cases quite seriously half Levis' rate.
And that was against college football competition. Why did anyone assume his habit of creating huge negative plays for his team(s) would just magically go away against much more difficult competition?
Last season, Levis seemed to have cleaned up his poor decision-making at times, but this year he's back to his old destructive ways. Levis is seriously throwing an interception on over 6% of his passes, which is worse than every other starting quarterback in the league except for Anthony Richardson of the Colts. On top of that, Levis is already up to 10 fumbles in just 13 career starts for the Titans. He just keeps forcing plays that aren't there and it has to stop.
Just like Ragan addressed in the spring, Levis cannot keep trying to play perfect football to please everyone. He–or any other quarterback for that matter–simply cannot win the game on every single play. Until he relaxes, plays free, smart, and utilizes his clear physical gifts on a down to down basis without forcing unnecessary errors trying to be the hero the Titans are going to continue struggling.
So, the question now seems to be, "Should the Titans simply just make plans to move on?" And if the answer is "yes", what does that look like? What does that mean for the rest of the 2024 season?
Mason Rudolph isn't some "answer" at quarterback himself, but he came into the game against the Dolphins this past week and secured the victory. Rudolph limited mistakes, operated within the offensive structure, executed, and didn't force anything that wasn't there. But can the Titans really stick with Rudolph? Or, since Levis' shoulder injury doesn't seem to be serious, do the Titans ride this season out with him likely knowing several frustrating losses linked to huge mistakes are in their near future?
It seems rather crazy at first to even suggest going to Rudolph, but even some of Will Levis' most outspoken believers seem to be changing their mind on his future prospects with the Titans. Mike Herndon, who covers the Titans with Paul Kuharsky believes it's rather simple. When Kuharsky (a longtime Titans beat reporter) asked if Mason Rudolph was the kind of quarterback Titans fans wanted moving forward, Herndon's answer was clear:
"Depends on what you want. If you want to try to win 8 games and draft 14th, I think Rudolph is a great option for that. If you want more than that, you ride it out with Levis. Either he figures it out or [the Titans] draft in the top 5 [next spring]. Either result is better than [finishing] 8-9 with no future QB."
Just like Herndon so adequately explained, the Titans are almost certainly going to go back to Will Levis. And for better or worse, it seems the harsh reality of his shortcomings are finally being accepted. Unless something changes dramatically with how Will Levis fundamentally plays the game of football and he suddenly learns not to force plays that aren't there, the Titans are going to completely implode this season, easily finishing in position to draft his inevitable replacement in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Be looking for more Tennessee Titans coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
