Mike Vrabel not ready to name Will Levis or Ryan Tannehill starter for Week 10
A bit of a quarterback controversy has surfaced in Nashville. Will the Tennessee Titans continue rolling with Will Levis under center? Or does Ryan Tannehill return as the starter when he’s healthy? Head coach Mike Vrabel isn’t ready to make a decision yet.
Tannehill started the first six games of the year for the Titans but has been sidelined the last two games with an ankle injury. That pushed Levis into the starting role, where he’s played better than expected.
So, where do Vrabel and the Titans go from here? Does the veteran get another shot, or does Tennessee ride with the rookie?
“No, I’m not ready to do that yet,” Vrabel said, per Sports Illustrated. “Think we’ll have a conversation with the depth chart over the weekend and we’ll have the depth chart or something close to it available when we talk to you on Tuesday to be able to go through the moving parts and not only Ryan’s health, but whatever there is going on on the offensive line, which there is coming out of that game.
“When Ryan is healthy I will have a decision for you.”
Levis needed just one game to surpass Tannehill’s touchdown numbers this season. The rookie out of Kentucky threw four touchdown strikes in Tennessee’s 28-23 victory over Atlanta last weekend. He also totaled 238 yards on 19-of-29 passing.
Thursday’s game against Pittsburgh didn’t go quite as well. He threw for 262 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. But Tennessee had a chance to win the game late, falling 20-16 to the Steelers.
In six appearances, Tannehill has thrown for 1,128 yards with a 62% completion rate. But the ugliest stat line for the veteran is his touchdown-to-interception ratio. He’s accounted for just two touchdown passes with six interceptions.
Will Levis unhappy with first lost to Steelers
As glamorous as it was for Levis to score his first victory as an NFL starter, the defeat on Thursday was equally as painful. After the loss to the Steelers, the quarterback did not mince words about his feelings.
“Losing sucks, especially at this level,” Will Levis told reporters in postgame. “It’s hard to win games. And when you get an opportunity like that to win at the end and it doesn’t happen, makes you feel a whole lot worse.
“Credit to them — they made the plays when they needed to, and we didn’t.”
Next week, Tennessee travels to Tampa Bay for a showdown with the Buccaneers. Will it be Levis or Tannehill taking the snaps for the Titans?