The Tennessee Titans made a massive trade to get to the top of the second round in the 2023 NFL draft to select Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
This move has obviously created a stir within the fanbase, as some are trying to be optimistic, while others have already begun to claim their desire to find a new favorite football team (and a new GM).
Whichever end of the spectrum you personally fall on is your personal choice, but the reality is if you’re a Titans fan, you have no choice but to support the kid up until he gives us a reason not to.
Unlike Malik Willis in 2022, the Titans moved up to the top of the second round to select a top-33 player in the draft. That type of investment is going to come with more patience and leeway for Levis.
Nevertheless, this move does create an interesting scenario for the team’s quarterback room. Let’s see how this might impact Willis and Tannehill.
What it means for Ryan Tannehill
This could go a few ways for the Titans.
There’s a slim chance the Titans trade Tannehill by the end of the weekend and acquire another pick or two to help the process of building this team.
The best-case scenario is that Levis looks absolutely unbelievable during camp and preseason to the point where it’s impossible not to play him.
At that point, the Titans could wait for an inevitable quarterback injury from a possible contender, which would subsequently make Tannehill much more valuable in a trade.
However, the more realistic route is for veteran quarterback to continue to be starter, until Levis shows the coaching staff that he’s ready to take over the reins of the franchise.
Until then, Levis can develop on his own and worry about elevating his game without the immediate pressure of having to elevate the franchise as well.
What it means for Malik Willis
To be blunt, this is not a good sign when it comes to Malik Willis’ future with the Tennessee Titans.
Obviously, he could show up in camp, look incredible, and we’ll have a completely different conversation at that time. But as of right now, trading up to select another quarterback in the second round signals the Titans don’t believe that Willis is the future of their franchise.
Just one year ago, the Atlanta Falcons selected Desmond Ridder in the third round and the Washington Commanders selected Sam Howell in the fifth, and both are seemingly being given every opportunity to be the starting quarterback for their respective franchises.
The same can no longer be said about Willis as he now becomes the presumptive odd man out on the depth chart.
Tennessee has historically kept two quarterbacks on their active roster, so maybe they make an exception, but considering Willis wasn’t Carthon’s guy, it’s at least fair to be skeptical about his status going forward.
And that’s especially true if the team plans to keep Tannehill as their starting quarterback. By all accounts, it seems to be heading that way.
I’d imagine, at the very least, the Titans would love to keep Willis on the practice squad if they cut him, but chances are someone would eventually claim him so they can take their shot at trying to unlock his full potential.
Maybe a team tries to trade for him by the end of the weekend, but his value isn’t exactly high right now, so it may be best to just hold on to him and see what happens from there.
Simply put, we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out.
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