Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Naming Will Levis QB1 wasn’t just the right call, it was only call for Titans

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 11/7/23

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel named rookie Will Levis the team’s starting quarterback on Tuesday, seemingly closing the door on the Ryan Tannehill era in Nashville.

It was a decision that seemed unavoidable given how well Levis played and the signs of life the Titans offense showed in his first two starts. Giving him the keys to the offense was the right— and only call — for Vrabel to make.

“We think [starting Levis is] the best opportunity for our football team right now,” Vrabel told reporters. “We’ll see where he’s at. I think Ryan will progress through this week, I think and hopeful (he’ll) be a backup for us.”

Tennessee is 3-5 with just a 6% chance of making the playoffs, per the New York Times playoff simulator, and only three of their final nine opponents have a losing record. Starting Tannehill, who’s in the final year of his contract and nursing a high ankle sprain, offers zero upside to a Titans team already planning for 2024.

Mike Vrabel on why Will Levis is the starting QB for the #Titans pic.twitter.com/J7dqOrgyqs
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) November 7, 2023

Starting Levis over the final nine games of the season affords the Titans the perfect opportunity to evaluate the 24-year-old rookie and determine if he truly is their franchise quarterback going forward. It would also give the team some clarity on what position it needs to address with its 2024 first-round pick, which is projected to be around the top 10.

Tennessee’s offense was stagnant with Tannehill at the helm. The Titans averaged 17.3 points, 283.5 yards of total offense and 188 passing yards per game in Tannehill’s six starts, and he threw just two touchdowns to six interceptions and had a passer rating of 71.9

But in Levis’ two starts, the Titans offense did a 180. The team averaged 22 points, 357.5 yards of total offense and 250 passing yards per game while Levis threw four touchdowns to one interception with a passer rating of 96.4.

Tennessee’s offense has been more explosive and produced more chunk plays with Levis running the show. The 28 points scored in Levis’ NFL debut was the most the team had scored since Week 18 of the 2021 season. Levis also had completions of 20 yards or longer on 24.4% of his throws compared to Tannehill’s 17.3%.

Tannehill had a solid four-plus season run in Tennessee. But it’s clear for the Titans that the future is now, and that future doesn’t include Tannehill.

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