The Jets signed quarterback Will Levis to their practice squad on September 22 and released Bailey Zappe in the same move. Levis started 21 games for the Titans in 2023 and 2024 before missing all of last season, and he becomes the most experienced arm the Jets have behind their two active quarterbacks.
The short version: Levis is a practice squad quarterback, not a roster addition. He is a former second-round pick with 21 NFL starts who missed 2025 after shoulder surgery. Zappe was released to make room. The active depth chart behind Geno Smith is unchanged.
What exactly did the Jets do?
They made a three-part move on September 22: signed linebacker Troy Reeder to the active 53-man roster, added Levis and linebacker Jaden Keller to the practice squad, and released Zappe from the practice squad. Reeder is the only one of the four who touches the game-day roster. He had been elevated for Week 2 and played 25 special teams snaps against Green Bay, and he spent the summer with Detroit before joining the Jets. Every move the club has made this season is logged on our Jets practice squad tracker.
Who is Will Levis?
He is a former second-round pick out of Kentucky who spent three seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee drafted him in the second round in 2023, and he started 21 games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, completing 61 percent of his passes for 3,899 yards with 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He hurt the AC joint in his right throwing shoulder in 2024, had surgery in the summer of 2025 and missed the entire season. The Titans waived him this year after he completed 21 of 39 passes for 200 yards in preseason work.
Does this change the Jets quarterback depth chart?
No, not as the roster stands today. Geno Smith is the starter and rookie Cade Klubnik is the No. 2, and a practice squad quarterback does not appear on the game-day roster unless he is elevated or signed to the active 53. What the signing does is replace one emergency option with a more experienced one. Zappe had 14 NFL appearances and eight starts; Levis has 21 starts and was a second-round pick two drafts ago.
How does a practice squad quarterback get into a game?
Through a standard elevation or a signing to the active roster. A practice squad player can be elevated for a game up to three times in a season without being signed to the 53, and after that the club has to add him outright if it wants him available again. That is why these signings matter more in October than they look in September. The rules, the elevation limits and the salary mechanics are set out in our guide to the NFL practice squad rules.
Why does the Jets practice squad keep turning over?
Because it is where the roster absorbs its injuries. The Jets have now lost David Onyemata, Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Arian Smith, Omar Cooper Jr. and Tim Patrick to injured reserve this month, and every one of those moves has to be backfilled from somewhere. Malik McClain and Jack Heflin were both promoted off the practice squad on the same September 22 that Levis was added to it. This is the second wholesale reshuffle of the group since the season started, and the Jets had already rebuilt the practice squad in the week after they first set it.
Frequently asked questions
Did the Jets sign Will Levis to the active roster?
No. Levis was signed to the practice squad on September 22, 2026. He is not on the 53-man active roster.
Who did the Jets release to sign Will Levis?
Quarterback Bailey Zappe, who was released from the practice squad in the same transaction.
How many NFL starts does Will Levis have?
Twenty-one, all with the Tennessee Titans across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Why did Will Levis miss the 2025 season?
He injured the AC joint in his right throwing shoulder in 2024 and had surgery in the summer of 2025, which cost him the full season.
Who are the Jets quarterbacks in 2026?
Geno Smith is the starter and rookie Cade Klubnik is the backup on the active roster, with Will Levis on the practice squad.
Can Will Levis play against the Lions in Week 3?
Only if the Jets elevate him from the practice squad or sign him to the active roster before the game.