Like most positions on offense in 2022, the Tennessee Titans dealt with poor play and injuries at the quarterback position, with Ryan Tannehill’s injury being the final nail in the coffin of the Titans’ season.
Tannehill’s injury paved the way for three starts for Malik Willis, who was almost immediately disowned by many fans (and perhaps the team itself) after he looked as raw as we all expected him to when he was first drafted.
Willis was eventually replaced by Joshua Dobbs, who simply gave the Titans a better chance to win at a time when Tennessee was vying for the division.
But as was the case with the other two signal-callers, Dobbs wasn’t capable of overcoming all the issues along the offensive line and at wide receiver.
Dobbs is now gone to Cleveland, opening up a spot for 2023 second-round pick, Will Levis, who will add a bit of juice to training camp and the preseason as he tries to show he’s the future under center.
As we do every year, let’s take a deeper dive at quarterback ahead of training camp and identify the roster locks, those on the bubble, and the competitions to keep an eye on the rest of the summer. After that, we’ll make a prediction for what will happen at the position when it’s all said and done.
Roster locks
Roster locks: Ryan Tannehill, Will Levis
Tannehill is locked into a roster spot once again in 2023, as he’ll be taking the ball for Tennessee in Week 1, and for as long as the Titans stay competitive.
Should the Titans stink it up, it’s possible Tannehill gets moved at the trade deadline, but even that seems unlikely, mostly because the deadline comes right after Week 8 and Mike Vrabel doesn’t strike me as a guy who would essentially wave the white flag on a season that early.
Now, that’s not to say it’s impossible, but we’re talking about a start of at least 2-6 or worse for the veteran signal-caller to get dealt, and even then I’m not entirely sure Vrabel would be on board barring the trade offer being a massive haul he simply can’t refuse.
One potential caveat to that is if Levis or Willis show they’ve taken a big leap while sitting behind Tannehill and gain the confidence of the coaching staff that they can keep the Titans competitive.
Chances are if Levis or Willis see the field in 2023, it’ll be because of injury or the Titans having fallen out of playoff contention, something that is likely to happen later in the season, if at all.
On the bubble
On the bubble: Malik Willis
Yes, Willis was bad last season, but that’s exactly what most people said they were expecting if he were to see the field in his rookie season.
Somewhere along the lines, that apparently changed and Willis was not only expected to play better than he did, he was also expected to do so behind a horrible offensive line and with a receiver corps. that couldn’t get open.
And, last but not least, he had Todd Downing as his offensive coordinator.
While yours truly isn’t ready to give up on Willis, the Titans apparently are after selecting Levis. As a result, Willis has to outperform the Kentucky product in training camp in order to force Tennessee to carry a third quarterback, something the team hasn’t done in recent years.
The Titans are unlikely to have the practice squad to fall back on with Willis, either, as it’s a safe bet at least one of the other 31 teams will be interested in seeing what they can do with him should he become available on waivers.
The competition
There is obviously no competition for the starting job in Nashville, but there is a competition for the spot behind Tannehill, which is also the most interesting battle of any set to take place in camp.
We briefly touched on the fact that Willis has to outperform Levis in camp in order to secure his roster spot, and the winner of that competition will be the first man off the bench in the event Tannehill gets hurt or the Titans decide a youth movement is in order later in the season.
So far, Willis has done exactly what he needs to do, with the 24-year-old outplaying Levis during the offseason program.
But these players aren’t just competing for the backup job, they’re also vying for the future of the franchise with Tannehill in a contract year and possibly on his way out in Nashville, whether that comes during or after the season.
The fact that Tennessee drafted Levis means they don’t view Willis as that guy. If he wants the keys to the car in 2024, Willis is going to have to show out much more than Levis in the weeks and months ahead.
Levis, on the other hand, has more leeway being that he’s a rookie. But as we saw with Willis, that can turn rather quickly.
53-man roster projection for QB
Who makes the cut: Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis, Will Levis
When it’s all said and done, Willis will have a better camp and preseason than Levis, forcing Tennessee’s hand to keep a third quarterback behind Tannehill. What Willis does with that opportunity, which could turn into a starting one at some point during the campaign, remains to be seen.
That said, he at least deserves another shot with a competent play-caller and both better protection and weapons around him.
If he gets something resembling those three things or better and still doesn’t show he’s at least a capable NFL starter, there will be nothing left for even the biggest Willis supporters like myself to complain about.
