Just when Nashville thought Will Levis was gone for good, he might be back sooner than anyone could have guessed
Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans finally said farewell over roster cutdown weekend when he was waived. Now mere days later, he is potentially landing somewhere that could bring him back to town very soon.
Will Levis popped up again just days after the Tennessee Titans released him on roster cutdown day, and the potential landing spot is… well, pretty funny. The former Titans quarterback is working out Thursday for the New York Jets, according to Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
Rosenblatt reports the opportunity would be a practice squad spot, not an active roster position. The Jets currently have Geno Smith as their starter and rookie Cade Klubnik as the backup, with Bailey Zappe occupying the practice squad quarterback spot.
The irony here is thick. If Levis were to land that practice squad job, it would bring him right back to Nissan Stadium in Week 1 for what was already shaping up as a grudge match revenge game between head coach Robert Saleh and his former employer. Levis wouldn’t be playing in that game, and not every practice squad player travels every week, but the possibility of him standing on the visitor sideline in Nashville just days after being cut is simply too good.
How Will Levis ended up here
The path from Titans starter to waiver-wire afterthought was a long, painful slide. Levis was usurped by Cam Ward, then underwent shoulder surgery that cost him the entire season. He went from a potentially tradeable asset, to entirely untradeable, to entirely unrosterable in the eyes of Titans GM Mike Borgonzi. Tennessee cut him after the third preseason game, in which he played a significant chunk of the snaps. When the rest of the league passed on claiming him off waivers, the question became when and where he might resurface.
The answer came quickly! Just a couple of days later, Levis is in New York working out alongside journeyman quarterback Jack Plummer for a chance at the Jets’ practice squad.
Why the Jets make sense for Levis
If the workout goes well and Levis replaces Zappe on the practice squad, New York would actually be a pretty decent landing spot for a quarterback trying to work his way back. Smith was at times unplayable with the Raiders last season, and Klubnik was hardly one of the most celebrated quarterback prospects in this year’s draft cycle. Everyone around the league expects the Jets to use their arsenal of draft capital to go after a quarterback in next year’s draft, which means the long-term quarterback situation in New York is far from settled.
For what it’s worth, I would rather have Will Levis on my practice squad than Bailey Zappe. And if my quarterback room consisted of Geno Smith and Cade Klubnik, I would prefer to constantly churn the bottom of that roster and add backup talent with legitimate upside.
Levis is somebody worth monitoring as he ages in the league. The issue with him, in my opinion, is almost entirely mental. Seeing the game fast enough and being a mentally steady quarterback in the way the NFL demands are the things holding him back. From a physical standpoint, he is big, he is strong, and the arm talent is real. It’s a matter of refining his game. If any coach, or maybe just Father Time, is able to get through to him on that front, I could see him being a useful player in this league.
I do think he’ll bounce around as a backup for a while, and I could see him earning another opportunity down the road. Maybe that starts with the Jets and their uncertain quarterback future. Maybe it happens this season if he lands there, because a fast track to playing time exists if things go sideways for New York.
I’m kind of rooting for Levis to land here. Partly because I could see him getting some action this year if the Jets’ quarterback situation deteriorates, and partly because the storyline of him walking back into Nashville for Week 1 on the opposing sideline is fantastic.
