Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out of Sunday’s Week Eight game against the Atlanta Falcons. That may not seem incredibly noteworthy for Pittsburgh Steelers fans, but given the short turnaround until the Titans next game against the Steelers on Thursday night, it’s an important piece of information.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, rookie QB Will Levis and second-year Malik Willis will replace Tannehill Sunday. The two will split time as a starter has not been officially named.
Tannehill suffered an ankle sprain during the team’s Week Six game loss the Baltimore Ravens and hasn’t played since. While it’s possible he could return for Week Nine against the Steelers, he’ll have just days to do so. In all likelihood, the Titans will opt to sit him out for that game and hope to get him back after a long layoff in Week 10.
Tennessee traded up for Levis in this year’s draft. After being rebuffed by Pittsburgh for the 32nd overall pick, they made a deal with the Arizona Cardinals to select Levis 33rd. Projected as a first-round pick by many, he surprisingly fell into Day Two of the draft. He has not thrown a pass for the Titans this season and had spent the season as the third-string quarterback behind Willis. But based on reports, it appears that Levis will get the start this weekend and play the majority of snaps, though an official starter has not been named.
Willis was a prospect the Steelers did plenty of homework on leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft. Ultimately, the Steelers chose Kenny Pickett over him, and Willis tumbled into the third round before the Titans stopped his fall. An athletic quarterback with a big arm but considered a project, Willis struggled when pressed into action as a rookie. Completing only half his passes, he failed to throw for a touchdown and tossed three picks. He looked better this summer but has only thrown five passes in the regular season, going 4-for-5 after replacing Tannehill in a loss to the Ravens. He was also sacked four times in that game.
While we’ll have a better feel for the team’s game plan after this weekend, it seems Levis will handle most of the quarterback duties with Willis playing situationally. Packages carved out that feature his legs like short-yardage and goal line.
The Titans sit at the bottom of the AFC South with a 2-4 record. Pittsburgh will hit the road and play Tennessee Thursday Nov. 2, four days after its Sunday matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
