The New York Jets have a new quarterback on their practice squad. The Jets signed former Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis and released Bailey Zappe. This could be a move that quietly says a lot about how New York views its quarterback depth.

Now, this isn’t completely out of left field. The Jets brought Levis in for a workout leading up to their Week 1 matchup against the Titans. At the time, I thought it was mostly for competitive advantage. Maybe it was a chance to pick his brain about Tennessee’s offense and get a little extra insight. But it seems like the Jets liked what they saw from Levis enough to bring him aboard. They already let Brady Cook go after the preseason, and now Zappe is out the door too.

And say what you want about Will Levis, but he does starting NFL experience to the Jets. 

What this means for the Jets’ quarterback depth

Look, the only two quarterbacks on New York’s active roster right now are Geno Smith and Cade Klubnik. That matters. This move, to me, signifies that if Geno Smith goes down, the Jets may want to roll with a guy who has actual NFL experience over a rookie late-round pick in Klubnik. Levis has started 21 games in his NFL career. That counts for something.

Is that a purely hypothetical scenario? Of course. But if it happens, I could absolutely see Levis being the guy behind Geno Smith. He’s been there before. He’s taken real NFL snaps in meaningful games. It hasn’t been the prettiest adventure for Levis so far, but experience in the NFL is everything, especially for quarterbacks. 

Levis’s rocky road in Tennessee

Will Levis has had a rocky career so far, no question about it. He got to start some games his rookie year in Tennessee, and honestly, that’s where the best part of his career has been. Four touchdowns to zero interceptions in his debut against the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 was the climax. Levis also had a nice comeback win against the Dolphins that year too, and played a decent game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Then 2024 happened. A new staff led by Brian Callahan came in, and it was pretty much a disaster for Levis. We’ve all seen the memes, the turnover-worthy plays. You get the picture. It was not a good year. 

In 2025, he missed the entire season after surgery on an AC injury in his shoulder, and the Titans drafted Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick. That pretty much put a bow on Levis’ time in Tennessee.

As far as Levis the quarterback goes, he’s got all the physical traits in the world. He can throw the ball far, he’s got great velocity on his throws, and sometimes he can show pretty elite NFL accuracy. But the decision-making has been the main thing holding him back, and that’s ultimately why it didn’t work out with the Titans. It was probably best for both parties to move on.

A clean slate in New York

For the Jets, this is a totally clean slate for Levis. He’s only on the practice squad right now, so we can’t overreact about it too much. But if something happens to Geno Smith, the experience edge is real, and the Jets clearly saw enough in that workout to bet on Levis. 

And who knows, it is the Jets so we might end up seeing him take snaps this season.