Will Levis was asked whether he still believes he can become an NFL starting quarterback. His answer was exactly what anyone should want to hear from a professional athlete fighting for his career.

There are not 32 quarterbacks in this league better than me. I know that for sure.

The confidence is understandable. The number is where he lost me.

Nobody wants a quarterback to stand in front of reporters and admit he’s probably somewhere in the mid-50s. There isn’t a motivational podcast on Earth that recommends that approach. Levis needs to believe he can start again because the moment he stops believing it, everyone else can stop pretending too.

Still, he gave us a number. Once that happens, the only responsible thing to do is count.

I did. There are at least 53 quarterbacks currently in the NFL I would take over Levis. That includes all 32 projected starters and another 21 backups, several of whom may never become particularly good starters themselves. They don’t need to. The standard here isn’t Patrick Mahomes. It’s Will Levis.

He’s genuinely closer to being the 64th-best quarterback in the NFL than the 31st.

That sounds harsh... until you turn on the tape.

One Great Debut Can Only Carry So Much Weight

The best case for Levis has never really come out of nowhere — it’s always been these little flashes that make you stop and go, “okay… that’s why people were into this guy.”

His first NFL start was one of those moments. Levis went 19 of 29 for 238 yards and four touchdowns against Atlanta, and for a night you could see exactly what the hype was about. Big arm, no hesitation, and three of those touchdowns went to DeAndre Hopkins. No turnovers either, which honestly felt like the most important part of the whole thing.

He had another one of those games later in his rookie year too. Tennessee was down 14 to Miami with under three minutes left, and Levis actually helped drag them back into it with back-to-back touchdown drives in a 28–27 win. He finished with 327 passing yards, and for a second it felt like maybe things were starting to click.

And that’s the thing with him — the tools jump out at you. He’s 6-foot-4, built like a prototype quarterback, and he can absolutely rip the ball into windows most guys wouldn’t even try. There are drives where it all lines up and you remember why he was even in the first-round conversation to begin with.

But those moments have been the exception, not the rule.

Across 21 career starts, Levis has completed 61% of his passes for 3,899 yards, 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He’s also been sacked 69 times, fumbled 17 times, and lost 10 of them. Tennessee went 5–16 with him as the starter.

Year two was supposed to be the real answer, the “okay, let’s see what we’ve got” season. Instead, it went the other direction. Levis finished 2–10 as a starter with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His 25.2 QBR was last in the league, and he threw four pick-sixes — the most by a Titans quarterback since the franchise moved to Tennessee.

It all kind of came to a head against Cincinnati. He finished that game with eight completions, three interceptions, a lost fumble, and he was pulled before the third quarter even ended. Mason Rudolph came in and immediately went 21 of 26 for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

To be fair, Levis wasn’t exactly operating in ideal conditions. He dealt with a shoulder injury early in the year, tried to push through it, and eventually had surgery that wiped out his 2025 season. And yeah, the offensive line didn’t do him many favors either — 69 sacks can't be all on him.

But at the same time, not all of it can be blamed on protection. The holding the ball too long, the staring down reads, the occasional “what are you doing?” throw — that stuff showed up regardless.

Now he’s healthy again, but the situation in Tennessee has changed. Cam Ward's the starter, Mitchell Trubisky's been ahead of him in the backup role, and Levis is basically trying to reset his standing in the room. In open offseason work, Trubisky went 78 of 97, while Levis finished 68 of 105 with five interceptions.

Before Levis can prove he belongs among the NFL’s 32 starters, he has to pass Mitchell Trubisky on his own damn roster.

The Backup List Gets Uncomfortable Quickly

The full count starts with every projected starter. That includes whichever quarterback wins Cleveland’s competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, along with whoever Atlanta chooses between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr.

I would take the loser of each competition over Levis too.

Vets That Can Process The Game

That gets us to 34 before we even get into trying to sort out backup situations that change every other week in this league. From there, there are a bunch of veterans I’d take over Levis without really thinking twice right now:

• Kyle Allen

• Tyler Huntley

• Joe Flacco

• Mason Rudolph

• Davis Mills

• Trubisky

• Jarrett Stidham

• Justin Fields

• Mac Jones

• Gardner Minshew

• Tyrod Taylor

• Marcus Mariota

• Andy Dalton

• Kenny Pickett

• Jake Browning

None of these guys are selling jerseys or getting fan bases hyped for a Super Bowl parade. A lot of them have already had their shot, lost it, and are now in that “solid backup who won’t wreck your season” phase of their careers. But that’s kind of the point — they’ve at least shown you can trust them to run an offense without everything falling apart.

Flacco, for example, threw for 1,664 yards, 13 touchdowns and just four picks in six starts for Cincinnati last season. And yes, he did that at 41 years old, which is still kind of ridiculous. Mac Jones went 5-3 filling in for an injured Brock Purdy, putting up 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 97.4 passer rating.

Davis Mills went 3-0 in his three starts for Houston, which is basically all you can ask for in a backup situation. Fields had his ups and downs with the Jets, but he still accounted for 11 total touchdowns and just one interception, plus the rushing ability that Levis just doesn’t really bring to the table. Minshew has 68 career touchdown passes, 35 interceptions, and has already dragged an Indianapolis team to the brink of the playoffs when nobody expected much.

Tyrod Taylor has quietly put together 73 touchdown passes and only 34 interceptions across 15 seasons, which is just an insane level of longevity for a backup. Andy Dalton's sitting on nearly 40,000 passing yards, 254 touchdowns, and 169 starts — he’s seen everything this league can throw at a quarterback. Mariota's settled into that perfect veteran backup role: experienced, calm, and able to step in without the offense completely going off the rails.

Browning has already shown he can keep a really good offense afloat. When Joe Burrow went down in 2023, Browning completed 70.4% of his passes, threw for 1,936 yards, and posted a 98.4 passer rating across seven starts. That’s not just “serviceable backup” — that’s legitimately keeping the machine running.

Then there’s Trubisky, and honestly, this is the one that stings the most for Levis being in the same QB room. He’s got a 31-26 record as a starter, 78 touchdowns to 48 interceptions, and two playoff appearances. Nobody is pretending he was some hidden gem in Chicago, but right now he’s just much more dependable in a backup role after spending a few years behind Josh Allen. And Tennessee’s own practice reps have kind of reflected that reality.

Young Guns I Trust More

The younger group doesn’t help Levis much either:

• Fernando Mendoza

• Tanner McKee

• Aidan O’Connell

• Sam Howell

Fernando Mendoza was just selected first overall by Las Vegas. Even with him sitting behind Kirk Cousins for now, I’d still rather bet on what Mendoza's brain this season than keep waiting for Levis’ physical tools to magically turn into consistent NFL quarterback play. At some point, “he’s got the arm talent” stops being a plan and starts sounding like a placeholder.

Tanner McKee has barely played, but when he has, he’s been steady — five touchdowns, one interception, and a 95.7 passer rating. Philadelphia even has him competing with Dalton for the backup job, which tells you enough right there.

Aidan O’Connell is probably the cleanest comparison in all of this. Same draft class as Levis, same number of games played (21), and honestly, pretty similar level of opportunity. O’Connell has 3,932 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and an 84.1 passer rating. Levis is sitting at 3,899 yards, 21 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and an 82.7 rating. It’s close on paper, but O’Connell's done it with way less hype and way less help.

And that’s kind of the point. O’Connell came in as a fourth-round pick with none of the physical hype Levis had, none of the draft buzz, none of the “this guy could be special if it clicks” narrative. And yet, if you just look at the actual production, he’s been the steadier NFL quarterback so far.

Then there’s Sam Howell, who feels like a weird but important reference point here. He once threw for 3,946 yards in a single season in Washington. It was messy — 21 interceptions, a lot of chaos, and ultimately it led to the Commanders moving on — but even in that rollercoaster year, he still threw for more yards in one season than Levis has in his entire career to this point. That’s not even a knock on Howell as much as it is just a reality check on where Levis is right now.

And when you stack all of that together, you get to 53 quarterbacks without even digging into retired guys or anyone still in college.

The Confidence Is Healthy. The Ranking Is Nonsense.

Levis could still prove me completely wrong. Quarterback development isn't always linear. It just isn't.

Baker Mayfield bounced around, Geno Smith got written off for years, Sam Darnold basically had a whole “is he even an NFL guy?” phase before landing in the right situation and looking like a different player. So it’s not like Levis is the first guy to look lost and then figure it out later. It happens.

And the tools are still there. The arm talent didn’t disappear. That’s the reason he went 33rd overall in the first place. You can still see it in flashes — the ball jumps, the throws look easy when he’s on time.

But he’s also 27 now, he’s missed a full year, and he’s not even locked into a clear backup role in Tennessee. That’s just the reality. The “he’s still developing” label only works if you're showing that development.

And that’s where it gets simple: he has to earn QB2 first. Not talk about being a starter, not point to flashes — just beat Mitchell Trubisky for the job. After that, it’s the boring stuff that actually matters: better decisions, fewer sacks that come from holding the ball too long, and way fewer “how did that just happen?” turnovers that end up on highlight reels for the wrong reasons.

Right now, I can still find 53 quarterbacks I’d rather roll out there.

All stats courtesy of NFL Pro.

Curious for more stories that keep you informed and entertained? From the latest headlines to everyday insights, YourLifeBuzz has more to explore. Dive into what’s next.