Calvin Ridley, new-look Titans offense should give Will Levis chance to shine

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

By the end of the 2024 season, the Titans should know if Will Levis is their long-term quarterback. That should be the goal, at least.

That’s the reality after a free-agency period (so far) during which Tennessee has addressed some of its biggest weaknesses on what was a dreadful offense.

The Titans made a stunning move Wednesday to bolster the wide-receiver room, agreeing to terms with free-agent Calvin Ridley on a mammoth four-year deal worth $92 million that includes $50 million fully guaranteed, a source confirmed to FOX Sports. Two days prior, the Titans agreed to terms with ex-Bronco Lloyd Cushenberry on a historic four-year contract that includes a reported $26 million fully guaranteed, an $18 million signing bonus and $20 million in first-year cash — all records for a center.

Tennessee isn’t finished building out its new-look offense under new coach Brian Callahan. The Titans still need a left tackle, which becomes a must with the No. 7 pick in the wake of the Ridley addition. They still need more offensive-line depth beyond that for position coach Bill Callahan to work with. They probably still need to draft a receiver this year, one they can develop. But they’ve created a unit that a capable quarterback should be able to run with.

On paper, the Titans have loaded up at the offensive skill positions.

Acclimating to a new offense aside, Ridley is poised for a breakout 2024. Drops were an issue for him last season — he had seven, according to Pro Football Focus — but he also had more than 1,000 yards receiving and eight touchdowns for the Jaguars, after missing more than a season and a half of football (he missed the 2022 season due to a suspension and played just five games in 2021).

Now with a full year under Ridley’s belt, Titans fans should be excited for what’s to come this upcoming season. He played all 17 games in 2023 and was never on the injury report. He’s a dynamic route-runner who can line up across the formation. He and DeAndre Hopkins form what could be one of the best receiving tandems in the league.

In the backfield, Tennessee lost the iconic Derrick Henry, but it became evident last season that 2023 third-round pick Tyjae Spears was poised to be his successor. Paired with Tony Pollard, who agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth $21.75 million, the Titans have a more than capable tailback duo that fits into Callahan’s vision of a pass-first offense. The dynamic Spears had 1,108 all-purpose yards in a terrific rookie season, including 453 rushing and 385 receiving. In his first year as a starter, Pollard in 2023 posted his second-straight 1,000-yard rushing season with the Cowboys, including 819 yards after contact in 2023, third-most in the league, according to Next Gen Stats.

Not to mention, Tennessee has a promising tight end on its roster in Chig Okonkwo, who was the team’s second-leading receiver last season with 54 receptions for 528 yards.

Overall, it’s a promising cast of weapons for Levis, who had flashes of being the team’s long-term quarterback as a rookie. The 2023 second-round pick completed 58.4% of his passes for 1,804 yards and eight touchdowns against four interceptions in nine games.

A struggling offensive line and a talent-lacking wide receiver room made it difficult to get a proper evaluation on Levis last season. The Titans allowed a 41.4% pressure rate, second-worst in the league, according to Next Gen Stats. The team’s wide receivers also totaled just 2,262 receiving yards, 24th in the league.

“In order for Will to be successful, he has to have playmakers around him,” general manager Ran Carthon said at the NFL Combine. “He can’t throw the ball to himself. He can’t hand the ball to himself, if you will.

“So we’ve got to continue to add playmakers around him.”

The Titans have done that. More could come, too.

Now Levis has to run with it.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.