New Titans HC Robert Saleh shares surprising Will Levis take

Current Tennessee Titans quarterback and 2023 second-round draft pick Will Levis has understandably become somewhat of a forgotten figure since the Titans now have 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward atop the depth chart at the position. 

Levis needed season-ending shoulder surgery last summer, and many assumed that procedure would represent the beginning of the end of his Titans tenure. While speaking with reporters at the NFL scouting combine, recently hired Titans head coach Robert Saleh indicated Levis may have a future with the club. 

Titans "looking forward" to Will Levis staying put?

"I just met him, I had a really good conversation with him the other day," Saleh said about Levis, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "My one exposure to him was back in ’24, [the New York Jets] played him in Week 2. I do think he’s got tremendous talent, tremendous size, tremendous arm strength. Again, I’m looking forward to [working with] him, and I’ll tell you guys the same thing I told him — just attack this offseason, have the best offseason of your life and compete your butt off and let’s see what happens. But I’m really looking forward to him being part of this football team." 

The previous full-time Tennessee coaching staff benched Levis in December 2024 due to poor play. According to Pro Football Reference, he ended the regular season ranked last among qualified players with a 25.2 adjusted QBR and 31st with an 81.4 passer rating. Add in that he is about to enter the final year of his rookie contract, and it's safe to assume that the 26-year-old wouldn't have much value as a tradeable asset. 

That said, Ward ended this past regular season dealing with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder. Thus, it makes sense that Saleh may want to hold onto a backup who has some familiarity with other Tennessee offensive players. 

Do Titans think Will Levis could be "tremendous?"

"You’re looking for a guy who can come in and win football games for you if something happens to the starter," Saleh said about what he wants in a QB2. "A guy who’s going to be a tremendous — who’s going to support the starter, who is going to support his team, who will prepare like a starter. So you’re really looking for another starter."

Levis holds a career record of 5-16 as a starter. Nevertheless, the Titans could view him as a lottery-ticket type of insurance policy if Ward's shoulder doesn't recover as expected.