Will Levis was supposed to be in a real fight for the starting job. A third-year quarterback going toe-to-toe with the Titans‘ new face of the franchise, No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. And for a while, the battle looked legit. Levis showed up for everything—OTAs, minicamp, all of it—doing exactly what you’d expect from someone trying to hold onto the keys.

But Ward wasn’t just keeping up. He was commanding the room. He took most of the first-team reps and looked every bit like the QB1 waiting—until the “waiting” part quietly dropped off. Levis recently informed the Titans that after consulting his doctors, he’s decided to undergo surgery and will miss the entire 2025 season. The Titans confirmed the news in a statement.

“After consulting with doctors and his representatives, Will Levis has decided to undergo shoulder surgery that will sideline him for the entire 2025 season. We support his decision to focus on his long-term health,” they wrote. “He approached the offseason with professionalism and showed clear growth as a leader. We remain confident in his full recovery.” Taken all together, Cam Ward is now the QB1 for the Titans, leading the charge in his rookie season.

It was week 4 of the 2024 season against the Miami Dolphins when Levis went down with an AC joint after diving on a third down. The team cleared him after the bye week, sure. But the Titans sidelined him for the next three games after re-aggravating the injury. The quarterback struggled with poor play, technique, and injuries in his couple of seasons with the Titans and put up a 3-6 and 2-10 record, respectively.

Fast forward to now, and the team expected the 26-year-old quarterback to compete in the training camp, along with veterans Tim Boyle and Brandon Allen. Levis got the second-highest reps among the quarterbacks and was only behind Ward. He told the reporters last month that he felt his accuracy was improving and is optimistic about his technique, which puts him in a legit place to compete for the QB1. And now that he’s heading into surgery, the Titans have three quarterbacks remaining—with Cam Ward projected as QB1

Is Cam Ward doing more than just looking “legit”?

Cam Ward didn’t just take the long road to the NFL—he carved his own path with a chainsaw. From a zero-star recruit buried in the shadows at Division II Incarnate Word, to a Heisman finalist lighting it up at Miami, to somehow, some way, becoming the No. 1 overall pick. It’s the kind of rise that doesn’t just defy scouting logic—it rewrites it and demands attention in the league. But is he getting that attention? It’s highly doubtful when we’re talking about a team that has won just 16 games in the last three years.

Ward has the statistics and accolades under his belt, but that attention? Nope. And which is why his teammate, and three-time Pro Bowler, Jeffery Simmons, believes that the folks out there overlook their team. “First off, I think that our team — the Tennessee Titans — never get the respect and attention we need,” he recently claimed on Good Morning Football. “I’ve never seen the No. 1 pick overall never get the respect and, quite frankly, the attention that he deserves.”

It’s the script we’ve seen this offseason. After all, it’s the fifth-round pick who’s getting attention rather than the first-overall pick if we’re talking about the rookie quarterbacks. However, Simmons now believes that it will change soon. The reason? It’s Cam Ward. Though he spent time with Ward at the OTAs and the minicamp, the 27-year-old DT expects Ward to shine through on the field. “It was after a play, we stopped him (Ward), and I think I ended up getting a sack,” Simmons recalled, addressing his trash-talk with Ward.

“All of the sudden, we’re talking smack and Cally (Brian Callahan) is giving him the dang play and I’m still talking smack to him, I’m jawing because that’s my game — I want to talk smack, I want to get in your head. It didn’t faze him. He’s still talking smack while Cally’s getting the play to him. He’s giving the play to the offense, still talking smack to me. When they gave him that play and came to the line, the next play after the smack talk, he threw an 80-yard bomb to Calvin Ridley. So, that right there showed me we got us one. He’s legit.”

It was just one rep, but it stuck with Simmons—one of those offseason flashes that’s hard to forget. With Will Levis now shut down for the season, all signs point to Cam Ward stepping into the spotlight. And make no mistake: the rookie isn’t just expected to fill in. He’s expected to earn the respect, command the huddle, and bring the kind of presence the Titans desperately need under center.