There was always a decent chance Will Levis wasn’t going to take another snap for the Tennessee Titans. Now it’s official — at least for 2025. Levis will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery on July 29, opting to shut it down and rehab his throwing arm for long-term health, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
#Titans QB Will Levis will undergo surgery on his throwing shoulder, sources say, ending his 2025 season. Surgery is July 29.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 21, 2025
Levis has elected to have the procedure to ensure long-term health, based on medical opinions, one that should help him be ready for the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/9ZGWqeGGt5
So much for a quarterback competition at training camp. Cam Ward was already the obvious starter, but Levis’ presence at least made the depth chart worth looking at. That’s gone. Levis will spend the year on IR, and Tennessee is down to Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle as Ward’s backups.
Related: Projected Titans QB depth chart after Will Levis undergoes season-ending surgery
No disrespect to Allen or Boyle, but the team needs to sign someone with a little more upside and a little more reliability. That brings us to one name who’s still available in free agency: Tyler Huntley.
Titans should take a flier on Tyler Huntley as Will Levis heads to IR
Huntley’s not coming in to push Ward for the starting job — that’s not the point. The Titans don’t need that. They need insurance. Reliable, mobile, experienced insurance. Huntley fits that description better than anyone else on the market outside of maybe Carson Wentz.
He’s not a long-term solution, and he’s not someone fans should talk themselves into. But he’s started 14 NFL games, played in a playoff, made a Pro Bowl, and doesn’t need the playbook scaled down to function. For a rookie quarterback who’ll be asked to move around and make off-script plays, Huntley brings leadership and can step in without blowing the system to pieces.
Training camp starts Tuesday morning, so if the Titans are going to make this move, they'd better get it done fast. No reason to waste reps on guys who aren’t going to stick.
This is a 27-year-old who played behind Lamar Jackson for the better part of four years — there’s knowledge there, and that can only help Ward.
If Ward goes down, the Titans can’t just toss the season. They’ve been trending downward each of the past three years. That has to stop. Allen knows the system, which helps, but there’s a ceiling there. And Boyle isn’t someone you want anywhere near live snaps. Huntley's no world-beater, but he'd be an exciting break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option who could provide some sizzle.
Levis’ injury drags his Titans career into a lame-duck season. That’s a problem for 2026. The problem for 2025 is making sure Cam Ward doesn’t have to carry this thing completely alone. Bringing in Huntley to take the No. 2 or 3 job would be one of the easier decisions they’ve made all offseason.