There should be no member of the Tennessee Titans happier with the Brian Callahan hire than quarterback Will Levis.
In five seasons as offensive coordinator, Callahan has helped turn Joe Burrow into one of the league’s top quarterbacks. The Bengals have won two division championships during that span and had one Super Bowl appearance.
He also was an offensive assistant with the Denver Broncos when they and Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl.
He was the Lions’ quarterbacks coach in 2016 and 2017 when Matthew Stafford broke out with two 4,000-yard passing seasons. He then moved to Oakland, where he helped Derek Carr pass for 4,000-plus yards before moving on to Cincinnati and Burrow.
Now he has Levis, who had eight touchdown passes (four of them came in his season debut versus the Falcons), four interceptions and 1,808 yards during an abbreviated rookie season. He played in nine games, but left after just six passes when injured in his last game at Houston.
Levis made some rookie mistakes, but also displayed great poise under duress in many situations behind a porous offensive line. His comeback in the fourth quarter in Miami was probably his biggest highlight and biggest reason to be encouraged about his future.
Levis showed enough that controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk highlighted his future and potential when launching the coaching search after firing Mike Vrabel.
That in itself should say the owner wants to see what Levis can do with an upgraded supporting cast and a coach who can get the most from him.