The Green Bay Packers have an important opportunity ahead of them. Quarterback Will Levis cleared waivers after the Tennessee Titans cut him on Sunday, and he could be the ideal third quarterback for Green Bay as a developmental piece on the practice squad.

The Packers would never have claimed Levis off waivers, and that’s because they traded Kyle McCord to the Miami Dolphins precisely to avoid keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. But now that Levis has cleared waivers, Green Bay can absolutely be in his sweepstakes. The idea would be to bring Levis to the Packers’ practice squad and develop him with the potential upside to eventually become the backup to Jordan Love on the active roster.

The Malik Willis precedent

The Packers have already developed a guy who failed to succeed in Tennessee in Malik Willis. And while you can think that this is not a reasonable thought, Will Levis was actually better in Tennessee than Willis was.

When Green Bay acquired Willis from the Titans, his numbers were insanely bad. He completed only 53% of his passes with zero touchdowns and three interceptions on 49 attempts, good for a 49.4 passer rating. Meanwhile, Levis started 21 games with much more complete exposure and starting experience. He completed 61% of his passes for 3,899 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions with an 82.7 passer rating, in addition to 240 rushing yards on 70 attempts and one rushing touchdown.

So while Levis failed to a certain extent and was replaced by first overall pick Cam Ward, he showed that he has some level of competency and can be developed. He has the tools, and that led him to be a second-round pick by the Titans back in 2023.

The fit in Green Bay is reasonable

For the Packers, getting a 6-foot-4, 229-pound quarterback who can potentially thrive in a better environment is significant. Green Bay needs that type of player to develop under Tyrod Taylor, because Taylor is older and didn’t play well on the New York Jets last year. But the most important factor is that Taylor is 37 and under a one-year contract with the Packers, making him a short-term option at backup.

If the Packers can land Levis, a 27-year-old, on the practice squad this season with the potential idea of re-signing him for 2027, that could be an intriguing path forward. There are other options Green Bay will explore for the practice squad quarterback spot, but Levis is certainly the one with the highest upside.