A lot for the quarterback competitors in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Titans entered coaching camp believing there could be a quarterback competitors with No. 1 total decide Cameron Ward and former second-round decide Will Levis. These plans fell by the wayside on Monday because the Titans announced Levis was undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, basically handing the job to Ward, who would have not less than benefited from being pushed throughout coaching camp.
“We help [Levis’] determination to concentrate on his long-term well being,” the Titans said in a statement. “He approached the offseason with professionalism and confirmed clear development as a frontrunner. We stay assured in his full restoration.”
Shoulder surgical procedure is actually an fascinating improvement for Levis, who suffered a sprained AC joint in the identical throwing shoulder final season however had simply participated in Titans minicamp with seemingly zero aggravation of the damage. Levis missed a number of video games in 2024 with the shoulder damage. He threw for 13 touchdowns to 12 interceptions for two,091 years. His QBR was 27.8, which ranked No. 32 within the NFL. He misplaced 5 fumbles on the disappointing sophomore marketing campaign, which dashed a lot hope he might bloom right into a run-and-gun freelancer.
That we’re on the eve of Titans coaching camp with no noise on any damage throughout minicamp — “I really feel nice,” Levis told reporters last month — makes the sudden surgical procedure really feel peculiarly out of left area. A conspiracy theorist would say it is a face-saving transfer earlier than he embarks on a QB battle he was doubtless destined to lose — one which units up a reasonably apparent subsequent wager.
Was Levis going to win the quarterback job?
There was all the time an opportunity for Levis to win the job, however given the latest success of top-2 quarterbacks over the past two seasons, Levis profitable the job was a longshot. The Panthers began Bryce Younger instantly, as did the Texans with C.J. Stroud (Stroud received Rookie of the 12 months). The Bears and Commanders did the identical with Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels final season (Daniels received ROY).
Ward would have needed to beat Levis out for the job, however we’d have anticipated him to try this based mostly on his draft standing because the No. 1 decide and the Titans offense fighting Levis and Mason Rudolph all through all of final season. The 2025 season represents a reset for the franchise with Ward.
Levis alternated first-team reps with Ward in minicamp, and that doubtless would have been the case in coaching camp and the preseason till one quarterback seized management of the job. The Titans absolutely would have been preferring for Ward to win the job.
Does Levis have a future in Tennessee?
Briefly, not as a beginning quarterback. This makes the shoulder surgical procedure this late in the summertime precarious. Levis absolutely participated in OTAs and minicamp with no reported points to his shoulder, but reportedly skilled discomfort throughout minicamp and sought a second opinion. The result’s season-ending surgical procedure to Levis extra time to heal all through 2025 with the hopes of a full restoration subsequent season, which might be the ultimate 12 months of his rookie deal in Nashville.
Wouldn’t it have benefitted Levis to play this season and compete for the job? Relies on how vital the shoulder damage was and the way the damage saved recurring, in all probability not. A recent begin with a healed shoulder might so Levis some good as he seeks a beginning alternative elsewhere.
The chapter seems to be closed in Tennessee, which could have stated the fitting issues when it introduced the Levis information however cannot be happy its quarterback depth on the eve of coaching camp now quantities to a rookie plus Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle, nor can it’s happy that Levis has no shot at ever once more boosting his commerce worth.
The same scenario Levis has confronted earlier than?
Levis was a quarterback that rose up the draft boards from since transferring from Penn State to Kentucky in 2021, and was a projected prime decide within the draft earlier than falling to the highest of the second spherical at No. 33 total. The Titans traded as much as get him.
Whereas Levis wasn’t a first-round decide, he was chosen on the prime of the second spherical for a motive. Being the No. 33 total decide sometimes means a franchise will give a participant an extended leash as a starter, however the earlier basic supervisor (Ran Carthon) and head coach (Mike Vrabel) aren’t in Tennessee anymore.
This case is much like the one Levis confronted at Penn State in 2019 and 2020. Joe Moorhead was the offensive coordinator when Penn State recruited Levis, however Moorhead then left to take the top teaching job at Mississippi State. Ricky Rahne took over the offensive coordinator reins and Penn State named Sean Clifford the starter, and Clifford received 11 video games whereas by no means doing something to lose the job to Levis. When Rahne left and new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca saved Levis as a working quarterback behind Clifford, Levis trusted his expertise and transferred out to Kentucky for a possibility to start out. He thrived.
Levis wager on himself as soon as and it paid off. Maybe that is the thought course of in getting out of Tennessee: Go to an offense that fits his talent set.
What’s Levis’ cap scenario?
Levis is within the third 12 months of a four-year rookie contract he signed in 2023. The contract was price $9.5 million, with $8.7 million in ensures. He carries a cap variety of $2.6 million in 2025 and $3 million in 2026. The Titans would solely save $632,000 in cap area in the event that they commerce Levis this 12 months, however $2 million in the event that they traded him previous to the 2026 season — so dealing Levis subsequent offseason could be higher for sales space Levis and the franchise.
Bear in mind Levis is simply 26-years-old and has a 12 months left on his rookie deal after this season.
What’s subsequent for Levis?
Levis has virtually positively taken his final snap as a Titan.
The Titans insisted again in April they weren’t going to commerce Levis, citing his worth as a competitor for Ward and a steadying drive within the quarterback room. A robust camp from Levis would have boosted his commerce worth; the Titans would have welcomed any draft compensation for a quarterback they’d already publicly moved on from.
The shoulder surgical procedure strips away that leverage. His worth drops. And when Tennessee finally retailers him, they’re going to be advertising a quarterback they selected to exchange.
If Ward shines in 2025, Levis will need out — loudly. If Ward struggles, the Titans will need somebody extra dependable behind him as an Andy Dalton-like stabilizer. Both manner, the choice was made in April when the Titans drafted Ward. Levis’ camp simply made it official.