Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis will miss the entire 2025 NFL season after undergoing right-shoulder surgery, a development that secures former Miami Hurricanes star Cam Ward’s path to the starting job. But, it seemed like Ward was already on the path to being the day one starter. So, lets dive into how this potentially changes the optics of his situation.
Titans QB Will Levis will undergo surgery on throwing shoulder ending his 2025 season. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/Ewl3eiUycR
— NFL (@NFL) July 21, 2025
Levis, who injured his AC joint last September during Tennessee’s Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins, opted for surgery set for July 29 after offseason discomfort persisted. The move effectively removes his competition, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, clearing the way for the No. 1 overall pick Ward to assume QB1 duties.
Now, with no quarterback ahead of him on the 2025 Titans roster — backups being veterans Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle — Ward’s role is secure. But, with Allen and Boyle having limited playing time in the NFL over their careers, the prospect of a backup QB who is suiting up on Sundays with the experience to help Ward is low. Unless the Titans opt for a free agent that can be in the room — outside of Levis who will be focusing on his rehab process — Ward will need to lean on the coaches.
With only Boyle and Allen on the roster, Ward will have a longer leash than what was expected prior to the Levis news. Allen has started 10 games in his career (2-8) and has been in the league since 2016. Boyle has started five games in his career (0-5) and has been in the league since 2018. There's some experience there but both QB's are new to the Titans.
There could be some help provided by Allen as he played under Brian Callahan when he was the OC for the Bengals but it feels like Ward is the Titans only hope to win games next year. Levis may not have started a ton of games in his career (21, 5-16) but it was still more than Boyle and Allen combined.
Last year, the NFL world saw the resurgence of Bryce Young after getting a chance to watch Andy Dalton. That will not be the case for Ward now. There will be no chance to learn on the sidelines at any point in his rookie year (and certainly not in his 2nd year). While it seemed like a forgone conclusion he would start from Day 1, it is now clear that there won't be an alternative and he will have to play through the struggles, no matter how ugly things (possibly) get.