The Titans are sticking with Ryan Tannehill as their Week 1 starter, according to ESPN on Wednesday.
With their crowded quarterback room of Tannehill, second-year thrower Malik Willis, and newly drafted Will Levis, speculation loomed around what Tennessee’s blueprint would look like for the upcoming season.
“This is his team, he’s the guy,” ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported.
The Titans have drafted a quarterback in the second round of the draft two years in a row to have Willis and Levis in preparation for the future, as Tannehill, 34, who is entering the last year of his deal.
No indications have been made on whether there will be an extension, Russini said.
If the Titans were going to move on from the 2019 Pro Bowl quarterback, the decisions likely would have occurred before the 2023 NFL Draft.
It won’t be an easy trajectory for Willis or Levis, who was left in the green room after the first round and slipped to the No. 33 pick in the draft.
Levis, out of Kentucky, starts out as the third-string quarterback for the Titans, head coach Mike Vrabel said, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any competition between the three or a chance to rise.
“Ryan will be the starting quarterback on Monday,” Vrabel said. “Malik will be the backup. Will will be the third quarterback. And what I’ve told them is whatever happens after that will be up to the players. That’s what it’s always been here. That’s what we always want it to be.”
Tannehill will be starting his 11th NFL season — his fifth with the Titans — after leaving the Miami Dolphins in 2018 where he was drafted in the first round (No. 8 overall) in 2012 out of Texas A&M.
If Tannehill can stay healthy, he will help the Titans be competitive throughout the season and in another possible playoff appearance alongside three-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry.
Since arriving on the Titans’ scene, Tannehill has led the team to four playoff appearances, falling short in the conference, divisional, and wild card rounds, and has a 36-19 resume in the navy blue, white, and red.
Last season, he recorded 2,536 yards for 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.