Here’s one thing to keep in mind as the Titans use free agency to rebuild the roster and change their offensive philosophy: These moves are being done to try to maximize the skillset of second-year quarterback Will Levis.
Levis showed flashes last season of being a potential franchise quarterback, something the Titans have not drafted in more than two decades. Now general manager Ran Carthon and new head coach Brian Callahan are going to give the former Kentucky star every chance in 2024 to make good on their faith in him.
That said, though, Levis has to make major strides this season, working with holdovers like DeAndre Hopkins and Tyjae Spears and newcomers Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard and whatever the draft yields in the way of skill players.
Levis is on a rookie contract, and while that allows the Titans to spend to put weapons around him, it also starts the clock ticking on his future. The belief here is that Levis will need to show clear progress as a franchise quarterback by the end of the 2024 season, or the Titans might be tempted to hit the reset button.
Except for Green Bay, where quarterbacks get a chance to fully ripen before they take the field, today’s NFL more than ever is about finding a franchise quarterback quickly and cutting losses when it doesn’t work out.
One need only to look at the way teams have already discarded what they thought were franchise quarterbacks in the 2021 and 2022 drafts.
From 2021, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones have already been traded for pennies on the dollar by the teams that drafted them, and the Jets would give away Zach Wilson if someone offered them a blocking sled or a cold tub in return.
The 2022 class is no better, as only Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy is relevant from that group. Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ritter and Sam Howell have already been dealt, and the Titans’ own Malik Willis is hanging by a thread.
In short, if teams don’t see the progress they need to see and see it quickly – see C.J. Stroud in Houston – it’s better to hit the reset button and try again than to allow a guy to continue to struggle. No one wants to end up with a Daniel Jones situation, holding on to an average guy for too long.
And so it will be for Levis this season. For him, as well as Carolina’s Bryce Young and Indianapolis’ Anthony Richardson, the arrow needs to point up in a big way in 2024.
The free agent and draft moves will try to trend Levis that way, but it is clearly on him to take that next step now.