Will Levis excited for NFL preseason debut

Will Levis will take the field on Saturday for the first time as a professional football player, and although it’s only a preseason game, the Titans rookie did not hesitate when asked what he’s looking forward to the most.

“Getting hit,” he said, grinning. “It’s been a while. Just playing football and seeing just all the hard work we’ve done come to life. With a bunch of people watching, it’s a lot of fun.”

Levis is still listed third on the Titans’ unofficial depth chart, which was reflected in the number of reps he took on Thursday’s practice; however, both he and Malik Willis are expected to play often Saturday vs. the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field (1 PM ET, NFL Network). When asked, neither Titans head coach Mike Vrabel nor his coordinators or assistants were willing to give any details on the number of reps each will take or even if Ryan Tannehill will play. Vrabel said the decision on who will start vs. Chicago has been made, but, of course, did not share it with reporters.

Both Levis and Willis have played well in training camp, with Willis owning a slight edge due to an extra year of experience; however, on Saturday, that could all change when the lights come on and the red jerseys come off.

“Far more valuable,” Vrabel said of watching his players in preseason games vs. practice. “First of all, the contact. It’s live now. We try to do a great job of rushing and our guys work well together to go and work and stay away from the quarterback. Well, the Bears won’t be staying away from the quarterback.

“They’re going to have to get hit, they’re going to have to get knocked down. They’re going to have to be able to operate in and out of the huddle, the efficiency, to get us a proper play. Great decisions, accuracy with a live pass rush, the timing. All those things that we talked about last year with Malik [Willis] that has improved in our team periods. Those have to continue to improve for him and then Will’s first exposure to the NFL.”

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Levis’ performance on Thursday

With an actual game coming up, the Titans spent most of Thursday’s practice focusing on situational work, splitting the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods into red zone and two-minute drills. In 7-on-7s, Levis played well, going 3-4 including a touchdown to Mason Kinsey in a red-zone period. He struggled a bit to start 11-on-11s. An underthrown ball to Kearis Jackson was intercepted by Alonzo Davis and would likely have been a pick-six. However, on the next drive, Levis quickly led the offense down the field with four impressive completions.

“I’m not going to speak to our strategy down there defensively but I thought it was one thing and it was another,” Levis said of the interception. “I thought he was going to be open and he wasn’t. On the ball inside, it didn’t come out of my hand very well. Made a bad play. Made the wrong decision and I’ve got to move on from it.”

The ability to shake off a bad play could be crucial in determining who backs up Ryan Tannehill, Levis or Willis, and the fact that Levis was able to bounce back from his interception today is encouraging.

“Vrabel talked about it after practice, how you need to have that mentality and the confidence that no matter what happened before, good or bad, you’ve got to be that same dog every play to start the next one. So, throw a pick, whatever, get the ball back, and score. That’s all you worry about. Get the job done one play at a time.”

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Levis’ biggest areas of improvement in Training Camp

Earlier this week, Vrabel praised Levis’ progress in camp, noting the rookie’s “command in the huddle.” That phrase came up again today when Titans quarterbacks coach Charles London was asked what he wants to see from Levis and Willis on Saturday.

“It’ll be good to see how the guys handle a gameday environment, the operation, how they command the huddle,” London said. “All the growth and all the improvement, we want to see it come to fruition during the game period.”

One area in which Levis may have an advantage over Willis is decisiveness. In his rookie season, Willis’ biggest weakness was holding on to the ball too long. The third-round draft pick from Liberty was thrust into action when Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in October 2022. He led Tennessee to a win in his first NFL start at Houston, but struggled the rest of the way, eventually losing the starting job to Josh Dobbs.

Willis has improved significantly since last season but still has moments in which he waits too long to make his move. Levis, particularly in red zone scenarios, has been much quicker to pull the trigger.

“I think he’s getting really comfortable with these plays,” London said of Levis. “It’s the second or third time they’ve been installed, the second or third time he’s heard them so now he’s understanding, okay, this is where I need to go against this look, this is where the ball needs to go against this look.”

“I think it’s making decisions quickly and making confident decisions and not second-guessing,” Levis said of his success in the red zone. “A couple of not-so-good balls that I’ve thrown in that area I’ve been really indecisive. So being a little more decisive and confident in your throws is important when you’re down there.” 

An early knock on Levis during OTAs was his accuracy on short throws (remember the infamous net drill videos?). Almost halfway through training camp, that has improved, as has his understanding of which throws to use in certain scenarios.

“I think it’s just been experimenting and figuring out what throws are appropriate for which routes or which looks against which coverages,” Levis said. “Just repping it and getting more comfortable with it. I feel like I’ve improved a lot.”

“I think he’s done a really good job of figuring out his club selection,” London said. “Different throws. Everything doesn’t need to be a fastball — he’s definitely got a fastball but we want to him work on some of his other pitches. And I think he’s done a good job of embracing that and figuring out what throws he may need to make. ‘Maybe I need to layer this throw. Maybe I need to put a little touch on this throw.’ That’s where I think he’s made a step.”

The next step is translating the work from practice to a game. That journey, and the race for backup quarterback, begins in earnest on Saturday in Chicago. Levis’ family and friends will be at Soldier Field for his debut, just one more reason he’s looking forward to putting on an NFL jersey on game day for the first time.

“I’ve had some photoshoots and all that but that didn’t really feel real. But getting out on the field and being able to start it off at a historic place like Soldier Field in Chicago, it’s really, really cool. And I know they’re going to show out and have a good fanbase for us there so it’ll be good energy. Should be a good time.”

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