Midseason AFC South quarterback rankings: Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence lead the pack
Midseason AFC South QB Ranking No. 3: Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
The Jacksonville Jaguars will get to witness the early stages of the Will Levis era. How long will it last, that's hard to tell but it at least is off to a good start. With Ryan Tannehill expected to miss a handful of games, Levis was behind center against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8. By all accounts, it was a resounding success. The former Kentucky Wildcat completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 238 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Having DeAndre Hopkins as his No. 1 receiver most definitely helped Levis. Hopkins showed he still has gas left in the tank, reeling in three of the touchdown passes the rookie signal-caller threw.
What makes Levis' performance even more impressive is that he had been a healthy scratch up until this point. Before he took over the starting job, sophomore Malik Willis was QB2 on the depth chart.
Now, before you anoint Levis as the next Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Schatz of the FTNNetwork points out that he was playing a bad Falcons defense and most of his yardage came in his touchdown pass. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, for one, has said giving the starting job to Levis is a possibility but hasn't yet committed to him.
No, Will Levis didn't have one of the great QB debuts in DYAR history. You'll be surprised who did, from Jarrett Stidham to Eric Hipple. Plus, Quick Reads looks at the best and worst players of Week 8 by DYAR.https://t.co/fug0i47Olc
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) October 30, 2023
This makes sense, Tannehill will eventually return, and there's no guarantee Levis will be able to build on his rookie debut. Maybe he will but there's an equal chance he won't. For the time being, he lands in the third spot of this ranking because he's got a bigger ceiling than Gardner Minshew, who's nothing more than a stopgap, high-end backup at this stage of his career.