Here’s hoping Will Levis changes this Tennessee Titans season, not the other way around | Estes

The slumping Tennessee Titans lack confidence. Good for them, Will Levis has plenty. They need to ensure it stays that way.

It happens all the time during games, Daniel Brunskill explains.

Players will be talking in a huddle, going back over a previous play or a call or delving into some other topic of convers—

“Hey guys! Listen up!”

Conversation stops.

Quarterback Will Levis can do that.

“He makes sure he commands everybody’s attention,” said Brunskill, the Tennessee Titans’ veteran right guard. “That’s a leader right there for sure, being able to do that. He’s got great confidence and great poise coming into the huddle. And that’s huge.

“If you let guys just talk in the huddle while you’re calling the play and then you’re kind of nervous and thinking about too much and the OC is in your ear, a lot of things can go wrong. … But if you get a guy there with confidence, it’s amazing what he can do.”

Levis is good for these Titans. On a slumping team that’s running thin with confidence, their young quarterback is not lacking in that area. “Will has got some confidence in him,” Brunskill said. More so, Levis exudes competency. It means something to him to not come across like a rookie.

And to not sound like one, either.

Example: Levis was asked this week about the Titans’ revolving-door offensive line.

“I’ve got to be a leader,” he replied. “My leadership role has got to step up. I’ve got to instill confidence in these guys, regardless of who it is.”

Who talks that way after three NFL starts?

“I feel like in everything that I’ve done, I’ve always just wanted to be at the forefront, in the driving seat,” Levis said. “I don’t know. I think I’ve got that innate ability to bring others with me. … It’s a tough job to have, and I like having tough jobs. It’s kind of how I’m wired.”

It’s part Tony Robbins, part Tom Brady. Levis is selling himself as someone for older teammates to aim to follow, and you know what? He’s surprisingly good at it.

We’re barely stopping to ponder his age or inexperience or other things like:

Shouldn’t it be the Titans’ offensive line that’s got to instill confidence in him?

Don’t laugh.

Just go with it. That’s what the Titans are doing.

They are banking on this rookie quarterback’s swagger to liven up an otherwise dreary present. Looking at a roster that’s getting long in the tooth while also proving to fall below standards for success in the NFL, it’s difficult to find many hopeful spots for the future.

Quarterback is one of them, though. That’s the good news.

The bad? A shoddy Titans’ offensive line is going to have to find a way to protect the 24-year-old Levis and keep him healthy for eight loooong weeks.

Latest: Who’s next up in the Tennessee Titans’ quest to fix the O-line? Meet ‘Doc Throck.’

Estes: The Titans aren’t a confident team, and that starts with Mike Vrabel

Can’t play scared. Levis needs to continue to play, but you’d want him to continue to play confidently. You don’t want him getting hit too much. And you definitely don’t want him getting hurt and missing games – or even worse, getting seriously injured in a way that could linger into next year.

There’s no larger question for the rest of the Titans’ 2023 season, barring some stunning turnaround and unforeseen return to immediate AFC relevancy.

Can’t see that turnaround happening. There’s been too much lately that feels off about these Titans.

Levis has been an exception.

The hope now? That he rubs off on the rest of the Titans this season, rather than this season rubbing off on him.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.