NASHVILLE – Will Levis strolled up to the podium during his final media availability earlier this month, and his t-shirt said it all.
"QB-01."
It wasn't a flex move from the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. The shirt was actually given to him as part of his promotional work at the NFL Combine for NOBULL.
But the black t-shirt did say something about how far Levis has come in a year.
"I probably wouldn't have worn it last year," Levis said with a smile. "That's for sure."
This time last year, Levis was wrapping up his first offseason program with the team, behind veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and even Malik Willis, on an "unofficial" depth chart. Levis didn't get a lot of reps last offseason, and in the weeks that followed when training camp began, his reps were also few and far between because of lost time with an injury.
Levis waited, and worked, and in time, he took over as the team's starter in 2023.
Fast-forward to now.
Heading into 2024, Levis is the unquestioned leader of the offense in his second NFL season.
And he's excited about where things could go from here in Year 2.
"It's the work that you get to put in," Levis said of a potential second-year jump. "A lot of it has to be with being able to have that full offseason with the staff and with the team instead of just jumping in around this time (last year). I think I've handled myself really well (this offseason) and I've been able to get a grip on this offense.
"By the time we come back for training camp, I am going to know it like the back of my hand and we're going to be able to get things rolling. It has been a lot of fun and I feel like we just have to keep handling this second year the right way and everything else will fall into place."
In 2023, after being inactive the first six games of the season, Levis took over as the team's starter in Week 7, replacing Tannehill, and surging ahead of Willis. Levis ended up starting nine games in his rookie season, and he completed 149-of-255 passes (58.4%) for 1,808 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions, with a passer rating of 84.2. He was sidelined late in the year, however, with an injury.
Things are much different around Levis this offseason.
He has a new head coach (Brian Callahan), offensive coordinator (Nick Holz) and quarterbacks coach (Bo Hardigree), along with a bunch of new teammates, including veteran receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd. The team added a veteran center (Lloyd Cushenberry) in free agency, and a left tackle (JC Latham) in the NFL Draft.
Running backs Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard, formerly of the Cowboys, are in line to handle things in the running game following the departure of Derrick Henry.
Meanwhile, Levis has worked on himself.
Levis changed things with his base, tweaking his footwork. He's trying to get the ball out better, and cleaner, with improved technique.
He's getting on the same page with his new receivers.
In the six practices open to media, Levis was charted at completing 37 of his 57 attempts (64.9%) in 7-on-7 periods. He had some good days this offseason, and others that served more as learning experiences.
"It's fun," Levis said. "Small things showing up, improvement-wise, going back (from the start of on-field workout) until now."
Levis said all the work – and having better perspective now – has helped him.
"I feel like I am in a more mature, developed position where I am able to just learn and take the teachings from a bad rep instead it letting it affect me on my next one," Levis said.
"Just taking advantage of all that time, like I feel like I have. And knowing all the meeting time and all the stuff we were able to do throughout workout and OTAs up to now has put me in a much better spot and has given me a lot more confidence."
Heading into his second NFL season, Levis is fully aware some have plenty of doubts about the Titans, coming off a 6-11 season and with changes everywhere.
Levis also knows there are those who also question him, and whether he can get it done.
Levis isn't paying any attention to that – he's too busy focusing on himself.
Leading up to training camp, which is scheduled to begin on July 24, Levis plans to put in the work to get ready. He'll gather with some of the team's skill players for what he called a "retreat," which will include some studying, route running, and team bonding.
"I used to be someone who would kind of take that (scrutiny) and use it to fuel me," Levis said. "But I feel like now, my only source of motivation is internal, and I am not going to let anyone else's opinions define how I work.
"They can say what they want, and we're going to go out here on Sunday and do our best to prove them wrong."
