Earlier this week, the Tennessee Titans made the easy decision to officially make rookie Will Levis their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Starting the rookie quarterback was the obvious thing to do for a few reasons.
For starters, the fanbase would’ve probably rioted had the Titans not gone that route. More importantly, the Kentucky product not only gives this team the best chance to compete, but he’s also given Tennessee the type of spark it desperately needed.
As expected, Levis still has his rookie moments, but he’s also a bona fide gunslinger who isn’t afraid to push the ball downfield at any moment.
Tennessee’s rookie quarterback is capable of taking advantage of an aggressive defense because he can legitimately make every throw on the football field with seemingly minimal effort.
Levis’ aggressive mindset, combined with his special arm talent, opens up the entire offense. It makes defenses think twice before sending everyone to the line of scrimmage to try and slow down Derrick Henry.
Over the last two weeks since he took over, the 2023 second-round pick is tied with Houston Texans quarterback and fellow rookie C.J. Stroud for most completions (10) of 20 yards or more. The two of them only trail Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s 12 over that span.
Passing game creating explosive plays:#Titans pic.twitter.com/x5l4AB5Abm
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 9, 2023
Seven of those completions for Levis came last week alone while facing a tenacious Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rush in a hostile environment. The other three were his touchdown passes against the Falcons.
Will Levis threw 3 touchdown passes traveling over 50 yards of air distance, the most in a game in the NGS era (since 2016). The Titans had 0 deep TD passes in Weeks 1-7.#ATLvsTEN | #Titans
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 29, 2023
Making his 10 completions even more impressive is the fact that Levis only has four fewer than Ryan Tannehill’s 14 on the year, despite playing in four fewer games.
The next step in the young signal-caller’s development is honing in and sharpening his gun-slinging mentality. Ideally, you want Levis to become more calculated with his aggressive shots instead of being reckless.
That will likely improve with age and experience.
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