Ryan Tannehill went from the face of the Tennessee Titans and the veteran leader on offense to potentially riding the pine after rookie QB Will Levis’ impressive Week 8 debut may have “Wally Pipped” him to the bench for the remainder of the season.
Tannehill will miss his second start in as many weeks due to an ankle injury the veteran signal-caller received during the team’s Week 6 loss in London to the Baltimore Ravens. Tannehill has been a warrior throughout his NFL career, playing through several injuries.
Since the Titan’s Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is on such a short turnaround, Tannehill is out for Week 9, leaving Levis as the starter.
Who Will Be the Starting QB When Ryan Tannehill Is Healthy?
The question becomes more complicated every week that Levis balls out. Many NFL Draft analysts viewed the Titans’ rookie signal-caller as a potential top-10 pick before sliding into the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Titans are an old-school franchise that may prefer the veteran Tannehill, but they also have eyeballs. Levis was wildly impressive last week, leading Tennessee to a 28-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, essentially keeping their season alive.
If Levis continues to play well and leads Tennessee to wins, how can the Titans’ coaching staff justify pulling the plug on a red-hot rookie?
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Conversely, if Levis doesn’t play well, wouldn’t that drive Tennessee to losses, knocking them out of playoff contention? If so, what would be the point of putting Tannehill back in there? Wouldn’t the franchise find more value in seeing what they have in the rookie rather than tossing the ball back to the grizzled veteran?
In theory, regardless of Levis’ performance on the field, it may make the most sense for the franchise’s direction to let him cut his teeth and see if he’s the future of the franchise.
Have we seen the last of Tannehill as the Titans’ starting QB, possibly in an NFL uniform? Many questions to answer in Tennessee.
What Is Ryan Tannehill’s Football Legacy?
Tannehill’s football legacy begins at Texas A&M, where he played WR rather than QB until his junior season. NFL front offices loved the tools the Aggies’ gunslinger possessed, but he was raw and would need a lot of work to become an NFL starting quarterback.
The Miami Dolphins saw enough from Tannehill to draft him with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. His Dolphin career had its share of highs and lows but ultimately felt unfulfilled as his exit from Miami was assured.
The Dolphins dealt the former first-round pick to the Titans, where he was considered to be the backup QB.
2019 was a magical season for the former collegiate receiver. Tannehill took the Titans’ starting job and ran with it, leading Tennessee to the AFC title game and, in the process, earning a Pro Bowl nod and Comeback Player of the Year.
Tannehill’s football career and legacy are summed up as a player who faced many hurdles and setbacks to get to where he is. The veteran signal-caller exhibited heroic qualities on the football field, playing through injury, and had an old-school approach and willingness to win.
If this is the last time we see Tannehill as a starting QB in the NFL, his career will go down as one of the more surprising turnarounds and improvements throughout one’s career in recent NFL history.
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