NFL analyst: Tennessee Titans have created ‘weird environment’ for QB Will Levis
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NFL analyst: Tennessee Titans have created ‘weird environment’ for QB Will Levis
The Tennessee Titans are three days into Phase 3 of offseason team activities. Will Levis and first overall pick Cam Ward are in a competition for the starting quarterback job. The Titans have two other quarterbacks on the roster, which begs the question of whether Tennessee has handled this the right way. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently broke down the Titans’ quarterback situation and offered some criticism of the dysfunctional nature of the decision. He said: ‘We always look for whispers and whiffs and signs of dysfunction. That keeps you in the dysfunctional category’
Although it hasn’t been announced, everything points to Ward being named the eventual starter. Even Levis has talked about the situation, saying he understands where he is at and will be ready for whatever comes his way.
With two other quarterbacks on the roster, it begs the question of whether Tennessee has handled this the right way. Once Ward was selected, it was clear Levis would be the odd man out, and keeping him in the fold through OTAs was a strange move. Usually, franchises move on from players quickly after acquiring their replacement.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently broke down the Titans’ quarterback situation and offered some criticism of the dysfunctional nature of the decision.
“That’s so weird about this. You can find backup quarterbacks. Why are you insistent on keeping Levis around?” Florio said: ‘We always look for whispers and whiffs and signs of dysfunction. That keeps you in the dysfunctional category. When you have two years with a young quarterback and it hasn’t worked out, and your team has bottomed out. You earned the number one pick, and you drafted a quarterback. Most functioning teams would get rid of the guy that is being replaced. Because it’s just a weird environment. It just adds weird and awkward into your mix.”
He is absolutely correct that most teams would quickly move on from a player in this situation, and that could still happen in a couple of weeks. But this is a quarterback, and in the NFL, that does carry some value, so jettisoning Levis for nothing may be even more dysfunctional.
Levis was not totally at fault for what transpired with him at quarterback. Plus, one could argue that having two head coaches and two offensive coordinators in his first two seasons didn’t help him develop. Especially behind one of the worst offensive lines in football.
Keeping Levis around for OTAs may not be the traditional way of handling it, but it’s also not the worst thing in the world.