Further Breaking Down The New Rule, And Titans Third Quarterback Situation

Let's get it straight for some confusion about the new NFL 'emergency' quarterback rule and why I wrote about the Titans situation on Monday.

NASHVILLE - On Monday, I penned (ok, actually typed) an article on this forum titled "Titans Dilemma: Keeping Two Or Three Quarterbacks." Almost immediately upon sharing this on social media, I began to be taken to task by Titans fans who either misunderstood the rule or how it related to what I was sharing on the dilemma head coach Mike Vrabel and his offensive staff had in deciding how to structure their roster this season.  

So let's break this down more clearly. 

First, the NFL, after what happened to San Francisco during the NFC Championship game last season, added a new rule where each team could have an 'emergency' quarterback available on game day.  

During that game, 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy was injured and left the game with a right elbow (his throwing arm), and his replacement was subsequently injured and unable to return. Having no other quarterbacks, Purdy was forced to return to the game, where he was left only to take snaps hand off because he could not throw. 

This new rule was constructed and implemented to prevent that from occurring again for any other team. Any team wishing to keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster could designate one as an emergency quarterback on game days.

 That quarterback must be a part of the 53-man roster but can be among the inactive on game day. As for what the inactive are, the league allows each team only to dress 48 players, designated as active for every game, so five players must be set as inactive for that particular game.

Should a team use the emergency provision, that player can not be on the team's practice squad; again, they MUST be part of the 53-man roster.  

Being inactive one week doesn't mean that that player must remain there for the season; teams often designate a player inactive for one game at one position to keep an extra player active at another position they feel will be more needed in that game. 

So then, why did I write about the Titans having a dilemma keeping two or three quarterbacks?

General managers and head coaches often use the term "roster construction" when talking about putting together their rosters. There are NO rules on how many players a team must keep at any given position. In other words, the Titans, or any team for that matter, could conceivably carry five quarterbacks and three kickers on their roster should they feel that it is best for them to be able to win games.

Now that's not going to happen in actuality, but teams at times, including the Titans in years past, have carried three quarterbacks. They didn't have to; they chose to do so.

NFL Emergency Quarterback Rule

Mike Vrabel does not have to carry three quarterbacks in 2023, but he could choose to because of what he experienced last season, where starter Ryan Tannehill was lost to injury for the remainder of the season. Rookie backup quarterback Malik Willis replaced him but was ineffective, and journeyman Joshua Dobbs was signed off the street and started the final two games of the season, including the division title-deciding game in Jacksonville,       

Entering 2023, the Titans have Tannehill back and healthy as the starter this season. Willis, a third-round pick in last season's draft returns, has shown marked improvement during the recent OTAs and minicamp.   

As everyone knows, Will Levis was drafted in round two of the most recent draft and is thought to be the quarterback of the future, but not until next season. However, Levis isn't quite ready to become the starter, though he could, at some point this season, be given the reigns to the offense depending on injuries or a poor start by the offense.   

Now entering the season, three quarterbacks are on the roster. One who will begin the season as the veteran starter, and two young draft picks who both came to the league with the reputation of needed work to achieve the potential their athletic profiles suggest they could be. 

There is a chance that the Titans could choose to trade away one of the younger two-Willis- for some form of draft consideration, eliminating any discussion of three quarterbacks. Given his third-round draft status, they could also release him during roster cuts, though that seems unlikely. Still, it could happen. 

If Willis can't be traded, and the Titans do not want to throw his third-round pick out the door, he will have to be kept on the roster. 

In Monday's article, I suggested that if the Titans cut Willis in hopes of seeing him clear waivers where they could resign him to the practice squad, another team would snap him up.  I was immediately chided for this thought because fans simply don't believe Willis holds any value. 

Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the fact is that in a quarterback-driven league, there were other teams who were interested in Willis before his draft. There are likely other teams who aren't satisfied with either their second, or third-string quarterback and would be willing to take a chance on a physically gifted athlete with upside that they feel they could develop with time sitting behind their incumbent starter.       

So Willis does indeed hold value, either for trade, for another team if released, or for the third-team guy this season. Oh, and remember this. Tannehill will likely be gone after this season, and if Willis is moved, that would leave Levis as the only quarterback on the 2024 roster. 

Now call me crazy, but I don't think the Titans would enter the 24 season with only one quarterback. Without Willis, they would have to either draft or add a free agent, who, in all likelihood, wouldn't be starting quality either because good starters don't often find themselves sitting around waiting to be signed as backups.    

There you have it, a more thorough description of the rule and why I chose to write about the 'dilemma' with the quarterbacks for the Titans this season.

I hope this clarifies the rule for those who misunderstood it, and I hope that people will see what I was getting at on Monday.  

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