NFL 2024 season – Tennessee Titans team preview

Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and NFL writer Frank Schwab discuss Will Levis’ performance in the 2024 NFL season and whether or not he has the talent to be the Tennessee Titans’ franchise quarterback. Listen to the full conversation on the “Zero Blitz” podcast — and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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Video transcript

Frank, you’re next on the team.

When we started this show, we had some heated debates about the Tennessee Titans.

I participated in the Titans last year.

I’m an idiot.

Frank.

What’s your question now?

For now, I think it’s obvious with the Titans.

Uh, the only big thing for the Titans this year is: Levis will be the franchise quarterback and I think the term franchise quarterback is overused, sometimes it means that to a lot of people, it means some kind of MVP guy, whereas I’m just talking about him being the guy who’s been the answer for a decade, whether he’s the 15th best quarterback in the NFL or, or, or even better than that.

They can just go into every off-season saying, well, we don’t have to worry about the quarterback.

We have Will Levis, he’s at least good enough to win if we build a good team around him, I just don’t know with Will Levis, he was really good at times last year.

I mean, you look back, his first game threw four touchdowns against the Falcons, the comeback against the Dolphins.

I thought he was excellent in that game he also had a good game against Jacksonville in the loss but in the games, in the other games, he wasn’t that good.

He needs to find some consistency with this.

Could we see that in a touchdown against Atlanta?

Will vis for most of the season maybe he was a guy that I remember was kind of ridiculous, but people said maybe this was the first pick in the draft.

I think he has that physical talent.

I think he has Josh Allen qualities in his game.

But I think the Titans need to figure that out sooner rather than later.

Is this the guy we check that box every year?

OK.

It’s 2032.

Will Levis is our franchise quarterback.

Don’t we need to worry about this or will they fish these waters again next year?

Because if it stinks, they’ll probably be in the top five next year.

Well, and they’ll be recruiting a quarterback at that point, right?

Like, because this isn’t Callahan’s new quarterback and coach, he comes from Cincinnati, who understands what a great quarterback looks like.

This isn’t Joe Burrow, this isn’t the quarterback he drafted either.

So I think it’s a very fair question.

Uh, you know, about where they should stand on this.

And what’s interesting to me, I’ll go back to what some people who followed him closely in college told me that in college he had a hard time letting go of his mistakes.

Then he would throw an interception in the first and fourth quarters, still thinking about it.

And he’s the type of guy who really needs to be supported by the coaching staff.

He needs to be isolated and managed by the coaching staff in a way that can deal with emotions, because he can be tough, he can be hard on himself in a way that is really detrimental to his game.

That sticks with me because he’s on a team that’s going to need him to take risks, which means he’s going to make some choices.

He has some good weapons around him.

Can they, as a coaching team, get the best from their surroundings?

II, I really think one of the hardest teams to understand this off-season is the Titans because they did the right things with Will Leis, I just don’t know what to expect from Will Levis and to be fair to what I said about the Patriots previously.

I don’t know what to expect from Callahan as a first-time head coach.

So I think the Titans are in a bit of a transition.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Titans suddenly find themselves around 500.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Titans with five wins.

I know it sounds like an excuse, but I just don’t know what to expect from this team.

So I think you are 1000%.

Right.

Yes, let me ask you right away, five years from now, Will Levis will be the Titans’ starting quarterback, because I’m going to say I think he is.

I’m a little interested in him.

I like the talent.

I think so, but I think he’s the starting quarterback.

Sort of like a Ryan Tannehill.

He’s not breaking the bank.

He’s not an epic guy.

An interesting note, we need to keep in mind that he was a second round draft pick, which means they don’t have a fifth year on him.

Then as he enters year two, the clock ticks a little differently because they will have to make decisions on Will Levis more quickly than many teams do on their franchise quarterback because of the five-year second-round pick.

Do you think he is their starter?

Is he the man?

Do I, do I?

Yeah, I, I, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and think that they put enough talent around him or he could be, like you said, a Ryan Tannehill type franchise quarterback, where you’re not necessarily, you know , Patrick Mahomes, but either you haven’t been one for a few years or Tannehill was clearly their guy and I think Levis could be that guy for the Titans going forward

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