The Tennessee Titans saw a changing of the guard at the quarterback spot in 2023, with rookie signal-caller Will Levis taking the reins of the starting job from veteran Ryan Tannehill.
Despite a terrible offensive line and a poor receiving corps., the second-round pick posted some impressive performances and showed more than enough for the Titans to move forward with him as their franchise quarterback.
Now, it’s all about surrounding Levis with the pieces necessary in free agency and the draft in order to put him in the best possible position to continue to develop and succeed.
The first thing was to hire an offensive-minded head coach who has a more modern approach — and the Titans did just that with the hiring of Brian Callahan, who has stressed the importance of a good passing game.
Adding to that, he has a ton of experience working with quarterbacks, both young and old, and Callahan will be the play-caller, also, which means the Titans won’t have to worry about getting their guy poached.
Having a franchise quarterback in tow is a huge piece of the puzzle the Titans have, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some work to do at the position this offseason.
Here’s a look at which Titans quarterbacks are under contract, pending free agents, and what the team’s biggest needs are at the position.
Who's under contract?
Under contract: Will Levis, Malik Willis
Willis still has two years remaining on his rookie deal, while Levis has three. Of course, neither player has a fifth-year option since they weren’t drafted in the first round.
As things stand now, Willis is slated to be Levis’ backup, but that could very well change depending on what the Titans do in free agency (more on that shortly).
Who's a pending free agent?
Pending free agents: Ryan Tannehill
As great as it would be to keep Tannehill as the backup to Levis, there is zero chance that happens. The veteran signal-caller has even made it clear he won’t be back.
“It was a fun day,” Tannehill said after Week 18, according to Buck Reising of AtoZ Sports Nashville. “It was a fun day for a lot of different reasons, but to be able to finish the season out, finish my time out here with a win, was a lot of fun and felt really good.”
Tannehill will be looking for a team that allows him to start, or at least gives him a chance to, similar to the situation the Titans had when they traded for him in 2019.
Biggest needs
Biggest needs: A veteran backup
With Levis entrenched as the starter for 2024, the Titans only have to focus on their backup spot, which is currently held by Willis, who has been a complete disappointment over two seasons.
The good news for Willis is that the Titans have a new head coach in Brian Callahan who has a wealth of experience working with quarterbacks, thus it stands to reason Callahan might be able to get a bit more out of him.
Regardless, the Titans should explore bringing in a veteran option to compete with the Liberty product and provide another experienced voice in the quarterbacks room for Levis.
In the event the veteran beats out Willis for the backup job, the former third-round pick could be gone, barring Tennessee keeping him as the emergency third quarterback.
