AFC Notes: Will Levis, Jaguars, Texans, Titans

Jaguars

• Jaguars WR Christian Kirk will be re-evaluated next week due to a mild calf injury that has kept him sidelined for this week against the Buccaneers, per HC Doug Pederson. (Cameron Wolfe)
• Pederson added QB Trevor Lawrence won’t play on Saturday because of the reps he saw during joint practice. (Wolfe)
• Jacksonville signed S Tashaun Gipson to a one-year contract with a base value of $2.554 million, a $225k signing bonus and a $1.5 million base salary. (Over The Cap)
• Gipson’s $525k in guarantees come from his signing bonus and $300k of his base salary. He can also earn up to $829k in per-game roster bonuses. (Over The Cap)

Texans

• Per Howard Balzer, the Texans hosted G Ike Boettger for a tryout. 

Titans

Titans QB Will Levis said he wanted to prove himself to his teammates when stepping in as a rookie and feels he established confidence during that time.

“I think last year, stepping in, not being the guy until about midway through the season, I kinda had to play that role of being a leader however I could, mostly just through my actions and how I worked and showing the guys that I have the capabilities to be the quarterback this team needs,” said Levis, via Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports. “That led to playing, which led to more confidence, so then ending the season going into the next year knowing that I was going to be the starter, started to make some things click in my brain and understand how I can lean into this leadership role and figure out on my own what kind of leader I want to be for this team.”

Levis wants to show that he is always ready and prepared. 

“That starts with showing them that I’m prepared and capable and ready every time we go out there,” said Levis. “And then from there it’s creating those personal relationships and understanding the types of players they are individually, and how they are able to be led most effectively. It’s been a long process, and it’s a never-ending process as there’s gonna be new additions to this team as the year goes on and there will be new developments with the mindsets of all these players. It’s on me as the quarterback to make sure that I keep everyone together and that we all are working towards the same common goal which is the Super Bowl, and we’ve been making strides the past couple weeks just throughout training camp, and it’s been really cool to see.”

Levis is glad to know he has the trust of the organization and wants to help take their offense to the next level. 

“It gives me a sense of confidence that they trust me, for them to invest the money in specifically my side of the ball, it’s cool to see the weapons and the capability that we have as an offense, and we’ve been able to show throughout training camp that they’ve made the right decisions in that way,” said Levis. “Continuing to prove every day how we are going to be able to use these new additions and what our identity for the offense is going to be going forward, it’s cool to see. It just makes me want to work harder for everyone in the front office knowing that they believe in me with the decisions that they’re making with the roster.”