When Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis left Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the Houston Texans with an apparent leg injury, most of Nissan Stadium held its breath.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Levis has a high-ankle sprain, which is similar to the injury that sidelined former starter Ryan Tannehill earlier this year, allowing Levis to take over as the starter.
While Levis may be tough enough to recover from his injury and play in Tennessee’s final three games of the season, the Titans would be doing a disservice to their future by allowing Levis to play again this season.
•Most pressures allowed by a LT this season, per PFF:
50 – Orlando Brown Jr
•Most Sacks allowed by a LT this season, per PFF:
11 – Mekhi Becton
•Sacks & Pressures allowed at LT by #Titans Andre Dillard, Jaelyn Duncan, Dillon Radunz & NPF:
76 Pressures
20 Sacks pic.twitter.com/TBKuRb2Nie— Wes on Broadway (@TitansStats) December 18, 2023
There’s nothing else the Titans need to see from Levis, who has the second-most passing yards per game (224) among rookie quarterbacks, to change their minds about how to approach the offseason.
Putting the 24-year-old quarterback through three more games behind Tennessee’s dreadful offensive line, which ranks eighth in the NFL in pass-blocking, is a risk the team should avoid.
Levis has demonstrated enough in his eight starts for the Titans to be confident that he is their quarterback of the future (spoiler alert: he is).
With an 85.3 passer rating, he’s thrown for 1,792 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing just under 60% of his passes. Levis also has an upset victory over the 10-4 Miami Dolphins to his credit, in which he led the Titans 64 yards on four plays in just 26 seconds to record his first-ever game-winning drive and fourth-quarter comeback.
This season, the Titans’ offensive line has allowed the fifth-most sacks (50) in the NFL, as well as 225 pressures, 138 hurries, and 50 QB hits. The best thing for the team, and honestly for Levis, is for him to rest the rest of the season and then resume snapping once he has an offensive line capable of keeping him upright.
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