The Tennessee Titans are counting on Will Levis becoming a franchise quarterback in his second season. A strong preseason finale could be an excellent sign for the club.
In a 30-27 win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Levis played on two drives and looked sharp. The Titans scored twice, and he completed 7-of-8 passes for 118 yards, including a 33-yarder to wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
Big gain to @CalvinRidley1.
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Preseason stats should be taken with a grain of salt, but the performance shows the Titans' offseason changes could help Levis take off in 2024.
In January, the Titans hired former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who coached star QB Joe Burrow for four seasons in Cincinnati. They also signed running back Tony Pollard, wide receiver Tyler Boyd and Ridley in free agency.
League insiders are still skeptical about 25-year-old Levis. On Monday, The Athletic's Mike Sando released his annual QB tiers. The tiers are numbered 1 through 5, with Tier 1 being the best and Tier 5 the worst. Levis fell into Tier 4.
"He makes some impressive throws," an offensive coordinator told Sando. "I always wonder if he sees it and can react fast enough. Is his processing ability going to always be a little slow? That's all, just some awareness. I don't know if he knows when he's hot, and there are blitzers, that sort of thing."
Levis struggled with accuracy and decision-making during his rookie season. In nine games, he completed 58.4% of his passes for eight touchdowns and four interceptions, posting a slightly below-average 84.2 passer rating.
Still, Levis could keep picking up Callahan's offense and improve his ability to read defenses. In that case, the Titans offense should see significant improvements after tying for 28th in the league in points scored (17.9) last season.
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