10 July 2023 , 16:54
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Will Levis' difficult start to life in the NFL has continued with the second-round pick being "outperformed" in his bid to be the Tennessee Titans' backup quarterback.
Levis endured a painful slide in April's draft after being touted as a likely top-10 pick, falling to the second round where he was taken with the 33rd-overall selection in Kansas City.
It was presumed the 24-year-old would come in and quickly rival Ryan Tannehill for the starting job, but instead, the former Kentucky signal-caller has been locked in a quarterback battle with Malik Willis for the backup role in Organised Team Activities and minicamp over the past two months, with head coach Mike Vrabel demanding Levis earns the right to climb the depth chart.
Willis - a third-round pick in 2022 - struggled in his rookie season in his three starts in relief of Tannehill when he was injured, throwing three interceptions, no touchdowns and failing to pass 100 passing yards in each game. With the Titans facing a must-win game at the end of the regular season to make the playoffs, Vrabel decided to start journeyman Josh Dobbs instead of Willis.
However, observers of Titans' practices so far this summer have seen significant development in Willis' game, with veteran Titans beat writer Jim Wyatt reporting Willis has had the edge over Levis at the team facility so far this summer.
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Wyatt, in his weekly column, wrote Willis has "outperformed" Levis on the practice field and "definitely showed improvement from a year ago", continuing a difficult entry to the NFL for Levis, who had been grouped with Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson as the top-four QBs in the 2023 draft class only to watch painfully from the green room as the first round passed him by.
Malik Willis has outplayed Will Levis in practice this summer. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)However, it remains uncertain whether Willis' improvement going into his second season will be enough to secure a roster spot. Wyatt reports that although the NFL has introduced a rule to allow teams to dress a third quarterback on game days, Willis still has work to do to guarantee himself a place with the Titans by the end of training camp, which begins for rookies on July 22.
Tannehill and Levis are almost certain to be on the roster come the start of the season, with the veteran odds-on to cement his place as the starting quarterback, while Levis will be given time to hone his craft after costing the Titans a valuable pick.
So while Willis may have played the better football in practice so far this summer, he needs to do more to beat Levis out in the competition to be the Titans' backup QB.
But the fact Levis has a battle on his hands to be second on the depth chart sums up the slide he has suffered over recent months, having entered the draft as a top-two pick in the eyes of many analysts. Now, he faces a battle to be a top-two quarterback in Tennessee.