The biggest loser of the Titans 2023 draft
How Ryan Tannehill suffered more than anyone else from the Tennessee Titans 2023 draft.
With the Tennessee Titans 2023 draft class complete, nobody came out of this weekend's events with a bigger loss than Titans starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Not only did the Titans trade up to draft Tannehill's successor in Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, Tennessee did their QB1 no favors by neglecting the obvious team need for offensive weapons.
Six draft picks, six offensive players, and just one wide receiver drafted, which did not come until the seventh round and the 228th overall pick.
Tannehill is entering the final year of his contract with the Titans in 2023, and while he may be positioned to be the starter this season, the 34-year-old veteran is more than likely not in GM Ran Carthon's long-term plans for this team.
2023 will be a season in which Tannehill is playing for that next contract and opportunity to land a starting job elsewhere if the Titans do in fact move on.
In my eyes, Tannehill being the biggest loser of the draft doesn't even have much to do with the Titans drafting Levis. Bringing in a rookie QB was always a possibility, and as long as Tannehill takes care of business, I don't expect Levis to take snaps from him this season.
More than anything, the Titans' choices this draft, while setting the organization up for future success, could make Tannehill's life a lot more difficult in his contract year.
The supporting cast around Tannehill last season was a mess. The offensive line was banged up and subpar, the play calling was a disaster, and the receiving corps really struggled to separate and make plays down the field.
Tennessee's offensive line should be much improved with Andre Dillard, Daniel Brunskill, and Peter Skoronski, but who exactly is Tannehill supposed to throw the ball to outside of Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo? Chris Moore and seventh-round pick Colton Dowell is not a significant enough investment in the position to give Tannehill or Titans fans confidence that the team is prioritizing being more efficient in the passing game.
I like a lot of the players Tennessee drafted over the weekend and I think the Titans will be in really good hands long-term with Ran Carthon as their GM. But I can't say I expect the passing game to be a whole lot better in 2023, though, and that just doesn't put Ryan Tannehill in a position to succeed this year and beyond.