NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It was almost a year ago when Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon orchestrated a trade up to the No. 33 pick to select quarterback Will Levis.
The move raised some eyebrows considering the Titans already had Ryan Tannehill as their starter and traded up in the third round to select Malik Willis the year before.
But the Titans saw enough value in Levis to warrant sending the No. 41 and No. 72 picks and a 2024 third-round pick to Arizona in exchange for No. 33 and No. 81 (Tyjae Spears) last year. Now Levis is the Titans' starting quarterback, and Carthon is building a roster around him.
Adding new coach Brian Callahan, who was the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive coordinator over the last five seasons and his history of working with quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Joe Burrow, was the first step.
"He's got a lot of really special physical talents that I'm excited to go see if we can make better," Callahan said of Levis during his introductory news conference in January.
Callahan, Carthon & Co. set a goal to add impact players to help get the most out of Levis in Year 2.
The Titans signed former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year, $92 million contract and former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard by way of a three-year deal worth $24 million.
Ridley's four 100-yard receiving games last season were more than any other Titans receiver, including DeAndre Hopkins, who finished with three. He was the top-rated free agent receiver on the market.
Carthon opened up the traits the Titans liked about Ridley: "Him being able to get open, separate. His speed, his ability to track the ball. Those things stand out."
Pollard is coming off consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons and will team with Spears -- who showed promise as a rookie splitting time with Derrick Henry last season -- to form a versatile one-two punch that can threaten defenses in the passing game and running the ball.
The Titans will also look for improved seasons from tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo and wideout Treylon Burks. Outside of Hopkins, Levis' favorite pass-catcher to target was Okonkwo, who caught 26 of the 37 passes that came his way.
Ridley and Hopkins will draw the opposing team's top defensive backs which bodes well for Burks, a former first-round pick who is looking to break out in Year 3. But to do that, Levis and Burks will have to get on the same page. The two connected only six times on 12 targets for 86 yards in six games.
Tennessee also secured the top center on the market when they signed former Denver Broncos offensive lineman Lloyd Cushenberry to a deal worth $50 million over four years. Tennessee was desperately in need of improvement from the offensive line.
That's what makes the Cushenberry signing such a critical addition. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he allowed only one sack and 14 pressures in 17 games on 647 pass-blocking snaps last season. His 14 pressures given up last year were the second-fewest allowed for any center playing in at least 15 games.
Levis was sacked 28 times on 255 dropbacks in nine games. The results weren't any better for Tannehill, who was sacked 32 times.
The Titans and the New York Jets' 64 sacks allowed were only one behind the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders -- who were tied for second behind the New York Giants' 85.
All of the sacks weren't because of the offensive line, but the majority of them could be attributed to the guys up front.
The Titans will also look to add to the offensive line, specifically at tackle, in the draft.
"We're going to continue to look to bolster up front," Carthon said last week. "We've added weapons around [Levis]; still got to be able to protect him."
Levis took a beating throughout his nine starts. He suffered an ankle injury when he was sacked by Houston Texans defensive back Desmond King II during a Week 15 overtime loss that caused him to miss a game. Two weeks later, Levis reaggravated the injury and was knocked out of the game in Tennessee's second meeting with the Texans after a defender stepped on his foot in the process of a sack -- causing him to miss the season finale.
"When I think about Philadelphia with Jalen Hurts, then Justin Herbert and Will Levis, those are all young quarterbacks that have to stay healthy this year," ESPN analyst and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "Levis is not playing a sustainable brand of football. He won't last if he keeps taking hits like he did last year."
There is still more work to do to fill out the roster, but Carthon and the Titans have made great strides to make life better for Levis and have tried to improve the line to help keep Levis from taking those hits.
"I think we've surrounded him with more playmakers which I think every quarterback desires," Callahan said at the league meetings last month. "[We're] trying to give him every chance to have success, and I think as a young quarterback, that's all you can ask for."