Two Titans listed for offensive rookie of the year odds
Opening odds for the 2023 NFL season are here and two Tennessee Titans rookies are making a strong early impression. Quarterback Will Levis and running back Tyjae Spears are both listed by BetMGM.com with offensive rookie of the year odds. Levis and Spears are both at +3000 (30:1) to win the award, tying them for […]
Opening odds for the 2023 NFL season are here and two Tennessee Titans rookies are making a strong early impression.
Quarterback Will Levis and running back Tyjae Spears are both listed by BetMGM.com with offensive rookie of the year odds.
Levis and Spears are both at +3000 (30:1) to win the award, tying them for 11th in the rookie class. Here’s a look at the full list from BetMGM.com:
Titans fans can expect Spears to be impactful right away and get plenty of snaps with the first-team offense this fall. Because he is sharing a backfield with Derrick Henry, Spears is not going to be a feature back or put up the big-time rushing numbers someone like Bijan Robinson might. But Spears is going to have a role in the Titans' offense and get his fair share of touches.
Route-running and catching were two things Spears focused on during OTAs and minicamp. After every practice, he spent extra time on the jugs machine catching footballs and developing his hands. Tennessee needs a replacement for the Dontrell Hilliard role in their offense, and I think Spears can be a faster and more explosive version of Hilliard as a rookie.
Spears was the fifth running back off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft. but has the third best odds of any running back to win offensive rookie of the year. I think that says a lot about what direction his stock is heading.
Levis is an entirely different story. If Levis sees substantial playing time in 2023, it will be because Titans starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill goes down with an injury. As of now, Levis is competing with second-year quarterback Malik Willis to win the backup job in case Tannehill were to miss time, but there is no indication at this point that the 34-year old veteran will be anything but a 17-game starter.
For that reason alone, I think Levis making some noise in the OROTY race is unlikely. Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson are all in situations where they will start from day one while Tennessee is taking a different approach to developing the young quarterback.
Tannehill going down would be disastrous for the Titans, but hopefully there are a few blowout victories this season that Levis can play in. Titans fans deserve a taste of what the future might be like.
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