One of the signs of success in the NFL is stability at the quarterback position. The presence of a franchise quarterback is the easiest barometer for predicting a winning franchise. That isn’t the case with the Tennessee Titans.
Ryan Tannehill isn’t viewed as a long-term answer. In the last two drafts, Tennessee has used Day 2 picks in both to select a potential successor to Tannehill – Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 draft and Will Levis in the second this year.
Tannehill is entering his fifth season with the Titans and is in the final year of his current contract. His NFL career won’t be in its final season, but it seems clear that the Titans are willing to move on without Tannehill.
Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill has always been a marginal fantasy quarterback, despite posting 20 rushing touchdowns in the four seasons in Tennessee to go with his passing numbers. In 10 years as an NFL starter, he has thrown 24 or fewer touchdown passes in eight of them and hasn’t thrown for 4,000 yards since 2015. As a weekly fantasy quarterback, he has been middle of the road, at best, and his stock has dropped sharply over the last couple of seasons.
If this is the last ride for Tannehill in Nashville, he will have other teams looking at him in 2024. But as a fantasy quarterback? He’s never been strong in that regard, and there’s little reason to think it will change in 2023.
Will Levis
The Titans acted decisively when Levis fell into the second round, trading two Day 2 picks in 2023 and another in ’24 to move up to the 33rd pick to take him. Levis has all the natural tools to be a good NFL quarterback, but he needs polish to his game. He is mentally tough and can grow into a franchise quarterback, but it will likely take time.
This selection upended the Titans’ quarterback room, sending a strong message to both Tannehill and Willis that neither of them are viewed as the long-term future.
Malik Willis
Willis was viewed a project with upside when drafted in 2022, but when Tannehill went down last year, Willis was awful in three starts – so much so that he was benched for Joshua Dobbs in the final two games of the season.
For a player who was being groomed to be Tannehill’s replacement, his value has dropped significantly and has transformed him from the heir apparent to the desperation option. In fact, recent reports indicate he could be on the roster bubble later this summer.
Fantasy football outlook
On most ADP charts, Tannehill is in the bottom five starting quarterbacks. No Tennessee quarterback will be drafted in conventional leagues – nor should they be. At best, Tannehill is a No. 3 in two-QB formats. The play-calling, even with a new coordinator, will rely heavily on the ground game, and the aerial options aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring. Derrick Henry is the focus of the offense and may be the best thing going for a young quarterback (Levis) to get his start.
The likelihood of Tannehill finishing the season as the starter is less than 50/50. If Tennessee isn’t in the playoff hunt late in the season, the future of the offense will become the present with Levis taking over. Even still, the fantasy play here is if you can stash Levis for a year in a keeper league and gauge his value for 2024.
