The Titans have a big decision to make at quarterback

NASHVILLE — With Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis suffering an injury during the overtime period of Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans, the Titans now have a difficult decision to make at QB moving forward. Tennessee will have to weigh Levis' risk of reinjury with the positive trade off of Levis getting valuable experience. […]

Sam Phalen
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Ryan Tannehill, Will Levis
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE — With Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis suffering an injury during the overtime period of Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans, the Titans now have a difficult decision to make at QB moving forward.

Tennessee will have to weigh Levis' risk of reinjury with the positive trade off of Levis getting valuable experience.

If Levis can’t go and he misses significant time, Titans coaches will also need to decide which quarterback will start in his place. Is Ryan Tannehill or Malik Willis better for the organization's goals right now?

Levis has High Ankle Sprain

As first reported by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Levis has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said in his Monday press conference that Levis' injury was "similar" to what Ryan Tannehill dealt with last season.

It is unclear whether Vrabel meant that the injuries were similar in nature or similar in severity. But if it’s anything like what Tannehill went through last winter, I’d expect Levis to be done for the season. Tannehill had to undergo surgery on his first high ankle sprain. It's no joke.

But even if Levis can play, should the Titans even risk putting him back there? In my opinion, yes. The development of a rookie quarterback is essential, and if the Titans are still planning on being competitive in 2024, the experience Levis could gain in these final three games is big if he is improved next season because of it.

That said, you obviously need to protect him. You only play him if he's fully capable. If there is any risk of reinjury, or if Levis is unable to be effective and play like himself because of his injury, the Titans need to shut him down. Playing this one safe is the only way to go 

"I want to make sure that he can protect himself, that he can do his job up to the expectations that we have and that he—really, the most important thing is that any player can protect themselves out there during a game," said head coach Mike Vrabel during Monday's press conference. "It's Monday right now. He's sore, obviously, like a lot of guys. And we'll see how things go."

Should Tannehill or Willis Play?

Let's operate under the assumption that Levis is unable to play against the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve. The way things are looking right now, I'd say that's the most likely scenario.

Should it then be Ryan Tannehill or Malik Willis at quarterback for the Titans? If it was me, I'd roll with the veteran in Tannehill.

This may seem counterintuitive to some. I just emphasized the importance of developing a young quarterback and Tannehill is going to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will be 36 when training camp opens. Meanwhile, Willis is still a former third round pick in his second NFL season. He has only thrown 66 NFL regular season passes and getting some snaps could really help him improve.

While there may be a benefit to seeing what Willis can do before this offseason, the Titans also need to consider the development of other players in their offense. These next three games could be big games for Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo. These games could help the organization assess Jaelyn Duncan, Peter Skoronski, and other members of the offensive line.

It may help having a veteran quarterback that has proven capable of operating the offense in there. There's no point in throwing Willis out there for the sake of having him out here if your passing offense isn't functional. 

Ultimately, it comes down to the Titans' internal assessment of Willis and his improvement this season. The version of Willis that we saw in Baltimore was still too hesitant to throw the ball and took too many sacks. If you think you're going to get something similar, you play Tannehill.

The Titans also need to asked themselves if Willis still needs to or can prove something to them. With Tannehill likely headed elsewhere in free agency, what is Tennessee going to do at backup quarterback behind Levis next season? Has Willis shown you enough to earn that job? If not, is there something he could do to earn that spot? If so, you probably play Willis this rest of the way. If not, the Willis ship has already sailed and you let the Ryan Tannehill farewell tour begin.

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