My Two Cents: Role Reversals Bode Well for Futures of BOTH Will Levis, Ryan Tannehill
NASHVILLE — The Will Levis era has begun for the Tennessee Titans, and if all goes well, it will last a long, long time.
And the Ryan Tannehill era — if you call what's going on in the past five years his era — looks to be done and over with.
Levis started the past two games after Tannehill injured an ankle on Oct. 15 in London. He was great in his debut, throwing four touchdown passes in a win over Atlanta at Nissan Stadium, and did some good but came up short in a loss at Pittsburgh last Thursday.
It was a quick NFL indoctrination, playing two games in five days. But he did a lot of good things, and showed a lot of poise for a rookie. He was good enough that Titans coach Mike Vrabel said that Levis is the starting quarterback for the rest of the year.
And Tannehill, who is the final year of his four-year, $118 million contract, is not.
It's all over, more than likely. And transition isn't easy.
"It hits hard," Tannehill said Wednesday. "I've never been in this situation before, never a situation that anyone wants to be in, but it's a situation I'm in. I want to handle the situation with class. It’s not a fun situation to be in, but I want to be a pro and handle it with class and still be a guy that people can look to.
"Will has done some good things obviously. He came in and played well, and I’m going to be here to answer any questions he might have and help him out along the way.”
That's a good attitude for Tannehill to have in November of 2023, because it differs from a year ago when his infamous quote about then rookie quarterback Malik Willis — “I don’t think it’s my job to mentor him” — got him in some hot water. He backtracked from the comment quickly, and said he was focused on winning games himself.
Tannehill was the best option at quarterback when the season started. Willis hasn't proven anything yet and Levis was hurt, bothered a thigh injury. But the Titans went 2-4 in those six games, and Tannehill had just two touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Despite the sub-standard play, Tannehill still figured the starting job was his when his ankle felt better. That's not happening, though, even though he's back to practice this week, doing some limited work.
“No, not initially,” Tannehill said when asked if feared losing his job during the injury rehab. “As times progressed, I tried to walk through those emotions and prepare myself and see the possibility. But in the initial moment, no.”
Levis’ first start, the 28-23 win against Atlanta, was a huge success. He did things Tannehill hadn't been doing, like throwing touchdown passes. He found standout wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins three times for scores — and those were Hopkins' first touchdowns of the season.
He seems ready for all that comes with being a winning NFL quarterback.
“We are going to go with Will, and we think it’s the best opportunity for our football team right now,'' Vrabel said. We’ll see where he’s at is at. We’ll progress through here this week. We think, hopeful [he’ll] be a backup for us and prepare as a starter. That’s where we are at right now. I shared that with the team and had a conversation with everyone involved. That’s how that will look like.”
Levis said his relationship with Tannehill is good
"Yesterday at practice, doing a good job of stepping in and letting me know that the reps, even in the beginning of practice with the ones (were mine)," Levis said. "I didn't want to step over him, but he came to me first to be like, 'Hey, this is you.' So it was cool to hear that."
It's good for Tannehill to be acting that way, because he's at the fork in the road right now. He's 35 years old, and his days as an every-day starter in this league are probably over.
But there's plenty of money to be made as a back-up in this league, too. Tannehill is a smart guy, and still has some skill. He could hang around for several more years, maybe in a spot where mentoring a young quarterback would be part of the job description.
The Titans are 3-5 right now, and only the New England Patriots (2-7) have a worse record in the AFC. But let's be clear, moving on to Levis is not waving the white flag. There is no surrender here.
He has talent, a lot of it. He also has flaws, as every rookie does. Vrabel said that Levis gives the Titans the best chance to win right now, and he does.
Titans players, they get the move, too. And they have a lot of confidence in Levis. They've seen what he's done already, and expect more.
"You can see his confidence, and his ability to make the checks that are needed to get people in the right positions,'' Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine said. "He can lead the whole offense. I've only been around a few rookie quarterbacks, but he's been doing a good job. He knows his stuff.
"We talk, like at lunch, and getting to know him has been great. He's a good dude.''
Tannehill is too, of course, but it's not about that any more. If this is the time to move around, then everyone involved has to be on the same page.
This just might be his NFL lot in life right now, and for the next few years. The veteran backup, it's a real job. Lots of guys make decent money doing it, and for the 35-year-old Tannehill, now's the time for him to do it too.
