Titans Coach Reveals Plan For Will Levis

Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan has big plans for quarterback Will Levis.

Dec 31, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) before the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

NASHVILLE — In an exclusive interview, Tennessee Titans' first-year coach Brian Callahan recently shared his insights with Sports Illustrated National Football League writer Albert Breer about choosing Nashville for his first head coaching job.

Breer watched game film with Callahan and spent time with quarterback Will Levis. The article you should read details how Callahan plans to use his expertise to work with the second-year quarterback.

One of the areas Breer focused on was how Callahan wanted to make Levis feel comfortable while holding him accountable. Callahan started affirming Levis as the starter from his introductory press conference after the team hired Callahan to replace Mike Vrabel.

Callahan has overwhelmingly praised Levis in every interview since taking the job, and Breer gets the first-year coach to explain why.

"I think you do a disservice to guys, particularly if you’re drafting them, and you make them compete for a job. Guys need to play,” Callahan told Breer. “They need to be put in a position where they are the quarterback. There’s something about that that matters to a team and a locker room. If you’re going to do it, do it. It all sounds good—He should sit. That’s not the reality. That’s not the financial reality of the NFL, either. You’re trying to take advantage of a young quarterback on a rookie contract, that’s the other part of it."

It seems that the Titans' free agent moves, such as signing wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, running back Tony Pollard, and center Lloyd Cushenberry, indicate that general manager Ran Carthon wants to see how good Levis is this season. Callahan confirmed that the team is going all in with Levis.

“There’s something about being the quarterback and knowing … when you walk into the building and walk onto the field, you know that you’re the quarterback and you know that everyone around you knows that you’re the quarterback," Callahan told Breer. "It allows you some freedom. Especially when you’re a young player, there’s no growth unless you make mistakes."

Last season, Levis completed 149 of 255 passes for 1,808 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions, resulting in a passer rating of 84.2. However, he struggled with ankle and foot injuries towards the end of the season, which impacted his performance and caused him to miss two of the team's final three games.

Callahan believes that Levis is capable of making significant improvements this season. He also understands that Levis will face struggles, which can be mitigated with the confidence that the Kentucky alum can learn quickly.

“The problem is, if you’re competing for a job, you’re not going to be willing to make the mistakes you need to make in order to improve at a rapid rate, Callahan told Breer. "You’re more worried about the perception of the mistake than actually learning from the mistake. I think that does guys a disservice, and I think it stunts growth when you have to be constantly worried about it. If I know I can make this throw, but it’s going to be kind of hairy, and I probably shouldn’t, but I’m going to do it anyway. Maybe it takes a hell of a throw, but I can coach off that.”

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