The NFL offseason is a time full of hype and hypotheticals where fans mull over every report from OTAs and look for any and all information regarding their favorite team.

Part of what makes the NFL so great is that the league is never short on storylines and fans are always hungry for information. The downside of that is when a storyline or narrative takes off and becomes something more to the public than it really is within the organizations.

One of the more heavily discussed storylines coming out of Music City has been the quarterback situation for the Tennessee Titans, and in my opinion, the Titans' alleged quarterback battle is the most overhyped Titans storyline you've been hearing about this summer.

Quarterback battle

There seems to be a lot of noise from the outside NFL world about the quarterback situation in Tennessee and the idea that Malik Willis or Will Levis could apply pressure and take over for Ryan Tannehill mid-season.

In an article from Eric Edholm of NFL.com that listed some of the most overblown NFL offseason storylines, "QB battles" were atop the list. But after writing about how the situations regarding Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson were "not that buzzworthy," Edholm at least considered how it "might be a different story" in Tennessee given Tannehill's contract status.

From an outside perspective, it makes sense. It's not every day you see an organization draft a quarterback in the first three rounds of the draft in back-to-back years and not start either one. It's no secret that the writing is probably on the wall for Tannehill after this season as Tennessee looks to get younger and cheaper under new GM Ran Carthon. 

At this point, I think it would take a lot for Tannehill to get brought back in 2024. That being said, we have no reason to believe he will be anything other than the full-time starting quarterback in 2023.

Even to the casual observer, Tannehill looked far more advanced than both Willis and Levis during OTAs and minicamp. It wasn't all that close. He's more accurate, more polished with his footwork, more decisive, and his experience shows. After all, he's the 11-year NFL veteran of the group while Willis and Levis are just beginning their professional careers. If the Titans want to win games and push for the AFC South title in 2023, which they have indicated that they do, Tannehill is undoubtedly the best option at quarterback. If healthy, I think he starts just about every game.

Both Willis and Levis had practices this summer in which they shined. That is something to celebrate and monitor as future decisions loom. But it's important we call them what they are and avoid turning great practices and signs of development into making a push for the starting job.

The quarterback competition between Willis and Levis will be a fun one to watch during training camp. As of now, Willis is considered to be QB2 (likely due to his seniority over Levis) while the 2023 second-round pick is slated as QB3. That all could change over training camp as we see both youngsters in preseason action. 

That backup battle is a legitimate competition, but neither Willis or Levis are anywhere close to applying pressure on Tannehill for the starting job at this point. If you hear otherwise, that is because it's being overhyped and overblown by an outside report. When Tennessee drafted Levis in April, the plan was for him to sit behind Tannehill for a bit. That hasn't changed.

If the Titans are out of contention by December, the organization may need to rethink their plan and consider getting Levis or Willis some in-game experience. But as long as the Titans have their eyes on a trip to the playoffs, it will be a healthy Ryan Tannehill under center.

Will Levis meets expectations at Titans rookie minicamp

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis shined during the team’s rookie minicamp on Saturday.