Former No. 8 overall pick Ryan Tannehill has been the Tennessee Titans’ starting quarterback since he overtook Marcus Mariota for the position in 2019. Tannehill, 34, has helped the Titans go 36-19 in that span, including three consecutive playoff appearances from 2019-2021.
While coach Mike Vrabel’s Titans reached the doorstep of Super Bowl contention with their AFC Conference Championship appearance in 2019, they were eliminated in the Divisional Round each of the next two years, before missing the postseason altogether in 2022. We even saw general manager Jon Robinson get fired for the team’s lackluster performance.
Now with first-year GM Ran Carthon making key roster decisions in Tennessee, the future for Tannehill remains uncertain. It doesn’t help that Malik Willis was the 86th overall pick in 2022, but being that he wasn’t Carthon’s draft choice, the team may hold no allegiance to the previous regime’s hand-selected QB.
Instead, Carthon has already played his hand by trading up to select Will Levis with the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. While Levis has a great amount of upside, even the Titans have since admitted that the rookie out of Kentucky will begin his career as the third QB on the depth chart.
Related: 2023 NFL power rankings: Jets, Steelers rise and Cardinals, Patriots fall after 2023 NFL Draft
Yet, one Titans insider suggests Tannehill’s stronghold on the starting gig may not be too secure heading into the 2023 season.
According to Ben Arthur of Fox Sports, the Titans could also quickly plug in Levis as the starter should Tennessee’s season get off to a bad start.
Considering Tannehill isn’t the future at QB in Tennessee and is entering the final year of his contract, the idea of Levis or even Willis eventually taking over is a no-brainer. If the Titans prove to be non-contenders early, there’s no reason for the veteran to play out the string of the season. Tennessee would be much better off seeing what they have in their 23-year-old quarterbacks instead.
Obviously, the Titans hope to start out strong, but after going just 7-10 in 2022, chances are, Tennessee isn’t anywhere near being able to compete with the Kansas Citys of the NFL. In turn, we could see Levis make his NFL debut sooner than some might have thought when he slipped to the second round.
Related: NFL QB Rankings: See where Titans QB Ryan Tannehill lands