Titans' Will Levis: Viewed as 'longshot' to play Week 8
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Levis (shoulder) is considered a "longshot" to play in Sunday's game against the Lions, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Following Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Bills, Titans head coach Brian Callahan had labeled Levis as week-to-week, so the second-year quarterback's expected absence for the Week 8 game doesn't come as much of a surprise. After initially suffering an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder during the Titans' Week 4 win over the Dolphins, Levis was cleared to start coming out of Week 5 bye, but he completed just 16 of 27 pass attempts for 95 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a Week 6 loss to the Colts. The poor outing has seemingly prompted the Titans to take a more deliberate approach with Levis' recovery from the injury, so he'll be poised to get a second straight game off while Mason Rudolph presumably makes another start. Levis could still carry a designation into Sunday if he's able to continue practicing in some fashion Wednesday through Friday, but it's unclear if the Titans would be comfortable using him as a backup to Rudolph if he's less than 100 percent.
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Titans' Will Levis: Not slated to start Sunday
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Levis (shoulder) is not in line to start Sunday's game against the Bills, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.
The Titans officially list Levis as questionable for the contest, but with Adam Schefter of ESPN reporting that the second-year quarterback is dealing with a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder, it's possible that Levis will miss time beyond Sunday. Official confirmation of his Week 7 status may not arrive until the Titans' inactive list is posted ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but in Levis' anticipated absence, Mason Rudolph is on track to make his first start with Tennessee.
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Titans' Will Levis: Good to go
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Levis (shoulder) was a full practice participant Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Levis injured his right shoulder right before a Week 5 bye and was back under center for a 20-17 loss to the Colts last week. He'll start again this Sunday at Buffalo, but it's hard to ignore that Tennessee's only win of the year came Week 4 when Mason Rudolph replaced an injured Levis early in the game. Another bad week or two from Levis could put Rudolph in the starting role.
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Titans' Will Levis: Limited participant in practice
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Levis (shoulder) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Levis played in Sunday's 20-17 loss to Indianapolis but is still managing the injury to his throwing shoulder that he suffered before a Week 5 bye. He'll likely be ready to play this Sunday at Buffalo.
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Titans' Will Levis: Another poor showing Sunday
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Levis completed 16 of 27 passes for 95 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Titans' 20-17 loss to the Colts on Sunday.
Levis failed to reach 100 passing yards for the first time in a full game this season, but his tally was his third of under 200 yards overall. The second-year signal-caller alarmingly failed to connect with top wideout Calvin Ridley on any of the eight times he targeted him, and he also extended his dubious season-opening streak of throwing at least one interception to five games. Given Levis' body of work to date and Tennessee's 1-4 record, a switch to veteran backup Mason Rudolph ahead of a tough Week 7 road matchup against the Bills wouldn't be surprising.
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Titans' Will Levis: Sleeper QBs
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Levis is going to play in Week 5 against the Colts after leaving his last game in Week 4 at Miami with a shoulder injury. Most Fantasy managers aren't going to trust Levis given the way he played in the first three games of the season when he scored 17.6 Fantasy points or less in each outing, but this is actually his best matchup to date. After facing Chicago, the Jets, and Green Bay in his first three games, Indianapolis won't be as difficult an opponent, and the Colts are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Levis is better off being used in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, but this should be his best game of the season.
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Titans' Will Levis: Confirmed Week 6 starter
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Coach Brian Callahan confirmed Friday that Levis will start Sunday's game against the Colts, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Levis exited the Week 4 win over Miami after injuring his shoulder in the first quarter, but a Week 5 bye gave him ample time to heal, and he practiced without limitations leading up to Sunday's game against the Colts. Indianapolis has struggled defensively, but Levis could be on a short leash after having committed nine turnovers already this season. Mason Rudolph will return to a backup role with Levis healthy.
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Titans' Will Levis: Logs full practice
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Levis (shoulder) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Ben Arthur of FoxSports.com reports.
A Week 5 bye apparently gave Levis plenty of time to recover from the right shoulder injury he suffered in a Week 4 win at Miami. He should be back under center this Sunday against the Colts, facing a defense that's been arguably the worst in the NFL through the first month-plus of the season. Levis, of course, has been one of the worst starting quarterbacks, and he may even be a few bad outings away from getting replaced by Mason Rudolph.
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Titans' Will Levis: Still entrenched as starter
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Titans head coach Brian Callahan said Tuesday that Levis (shoulder) will remain Tennessee's starting quarterback after the team's Week 5 bye, as long as he's healthy, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
Callahan said "there's no controversy, no second guessing" regarding Levis' standing as QB1, despite the fact that Mason Rudolph competently piloted the Titans to a 31-12 win over the Dolphins on Monday as his replacement. Levis departed early due to a shoulder injury sustained as he dove for a first down. While he's still slated for an MRI, Callahan said the quarterback is currently only sore, per Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site, and that his difficulty throwing on the sideline Monday informed the team's decision not to have him re-enter the game. Levis will benefit from an extra week of rest before the team faces the Bills in Week 6.
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Titans' Will Levis: Slated for MRI
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Levis (shoulder) is expected to undergo an MRI after being unable to return to Monday's game against the Dolphins, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.
When he's healthy, Levis is expected to remain Tennessee's starter under center, according to head coach Brian Callahan. Levis went down early in Monday's contest due to a right shoulder injury and subsequently was replaced by Mason Rudolph, who led the team to a 31-12 victory. More clarity on Levis' status may come following the results of his MRI.
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Titans' Will Levis: Departs with shoulder injury
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Levis exited Monday's game at Miami due to a right shoulder injury and is questionable to return, John Glennon of NashvillePost.com reports.
On the Titans' second possession of Week 4, Levis scrambled for three yards and then was seen having his right shoulder looked at on the sideline. He made some throws before backup Mason Rudolph took over for Levis on the team's next drive, and Levis visited the medical tent before he was seen on the bench with a team trainer.
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Titans' Will Levis: Pedestrian passing in loss
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Levis completed 19 of 28 passes for 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception while adding four carries for 38 yards in the Titans' 24-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.
Levis was frequently under pressure while taking four sacks and and additional pair of official QB hits, and he had trouble consistently connecting with any receiver not named Calvin Ridley. Levis hit Ridley for a game-long 40-yard pass that also served as his only touchdown toss of the afternoon, but other than that game-tying play, the second-year signal-caller struggled with getting the ball downfield. Levis' contributions as a rusher were a welcome complement to his fantasy production, yet his pair of turnovers, which came in back-to-back possessions on the second quarter, both occurred deep in New York territory. Levis will aim to atone for a lackluster first two games in Brian Callahan's offense when Tennessee and the Packers face off in Week 3.
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Titans' Will Levis: Sharp in two-drive tune-up
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Levis completed seven of eight passes for 118 yards in Sunday's 30-27 preseason win over the Saints.
Levis hit on his first seven passes before overthrowing Calvin Ridley in the end zone on the second drive, leading to a field goal after Tony Pollard capped the first possession with a one-yard rushing touchdown. The pair of successful possessions came against the Saints' defensive backups, but it was still an encouraging dress rehearsal for Levis and the first-team offense heading into the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Bears.
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Titans' Will Levis: Expected to start preseason finale
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Titans coach Brian Callahan said Sunday that he's currently planning for the team's starters, which should include Levis, to play in the preseason finale versus New Orleans on Sunday, Aug. 25, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
Callahan added that he'd "like to see our starting offense play somewhere in the 3-ish series" against the Saints, per Wyatt. Levis played the first two drives of Tennessee's preseason opener and then was held out along with a group of the team's key starters in Saturday's exhibition against Seattle.
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Titans' Will Levis: Not slated to play Saturday
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The Titans' key starters -- a group that includes Levis -- are not in line to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Seahawks, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
Per Wyatt, Malik Willis will get the start at QB versus Seattle, while Levis, who logged 14 snaps in Tennessee's preseason opener, is slated to be held out. It remains to be seen if Levis will take the field in the team's exhibition finale Sunday, Aug 25 against the Saints, but if not, his next game action won't occur until his looming Week 1 start against the Bears.
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Titans' Will Levis: Gets new No. 1 WR as Henry departs
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Levis (foot) will enter the 2024 NFL season with new skill-position talent, headlined by Calvin Ridley being slated to join the Titans on a four-year, $92 million contract, and by Derrick Henry set to be replaced by Tony Pollard in the backfield, Turron Davenport of ESPN reports.
Tennessee adding a hopeful true No. 1 wideout in Ridley is arguably just as impactful as Henry's tenure as the franchise face finally coming to an end. Ridley joins veteran DeAndre Hopkins, giving Levis two proven pass-catchers who both surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in 2023, allowing Treylon Burks to slide down to the No. 3 role and benefit from lesser defensive coverage. On paper, Levis now looks set to benefit from one of the best three-receiver groups in the league, while the recently re-signed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is a capable fourth man. Pollard, meanwhile, isn't nearly the between-the-tackles bruiser that Henry was, but he brings true three-down versatility and a skillset that's more interchangeable with second-year pro Tyjae Spears, allowing the Titans to swap both backs out freely without hinting at any specific playcall. Levis said in February at Super Bowl LVIII that he was already "close" to healthy, per Jim Wyatt of the team's official site.
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Titans' Will Levis: Gets offensive-minded head coach
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Levis (foot) will work with new Titans head coach Brian Callahan in 2024, ESPN.com reports.
Levis seemingly did enough as a rookie to enter Year 2 as a starter, though it's still up in the air if he's a franchise QB or more of a low-end starter/high-end backup. The Titans likely want to build their offense around the 2023 second-round pick, following a half-decade of run-first attacks centered on impending free agent Derrick Henry. That's not to say Henry is automatically done in Tennessee, though the fit would be questionable under a coach whose five seasons as offensive coordinator in Cincinnati (2019-23) saw the Bengals rank no higher than 17th in rush attempts and 23rd in rushing yards. Levis is no Joe Burrow, of course, but the addition of a passing-game-focused head coach at least suggests the Titans want to figure out what they have in the young QB rather than trying to hide him and rely on other parts of the roster. It remains to be seen if the team's ensuing offseason moves continue in that direction, with rumors already swirling that Callahan could try to bring WR Tee Higgins over from Cincinnati (Higgins might have other ideas). The foot/ankle injuries Levis dealt with late in 2023 should clear up by this spring.
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Titans' Will Levis: Sidelined by foot injury
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Levis (foot) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
It was announced earlier in the week that Levis would not be available to start, with veteran Ryan Tannehill instead getting the nod. Malik Willis will serve as the backup, meaning barring injuries to both quarterbacks, Levis will end his rookie season with and 8:4 TD:INT while averaging 7.1 yards per attempt across nine contests. His future role with the team remains uncertain, though there's a strong chance he'll be in the mix to be Tennessee's starter in 2024.
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Titans' Will Levis: Listed as questionable, won't start
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Levis (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars after he was a limited participant in practice Thursday and Friday.
Per Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site, head coach Mike Vrabel announced after Friday's practice that Ryan Tannehill will draw the start in the team's season finale this weekend, while Levis is on track to be Tennessee's No. 3 quarterback. With that in mind, Malik Willis is slated to be Tannehill's top backup Sunday. Unless he's needed in relief, Levis will finish his rookie season with 149 completions on 255 attempts (58.4 percent) for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions to go with 57 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries over nine appearances.
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Titans' Will Levis: Limited in return to practice
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Levis (foot) was a limited practice participant Thursday.
After missing Tennessee's Week 16 loss to Seattle with a left ankle sprain, Levis returned to the lineup for the Titans' 26-3 loss to the Texans this past Sunday, only to exit early due to a right foot injury. The foot injury seems to be less of a concern than the previous ankle issue, but Levis may still need to show improvement in Friday's practice before the Titans feel confident in having him start Sunday's season finale versus the Jaguars. If the rookie is unable to play Sunday or is available only in a backup capacity, veteran Ryan Tannehill would draw the start in his place.
