Tennessee may have a titanic mountain to climb over the next few weeks.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was carted to the locker room on Sunday with an ankle injury, leaving the now 2-4 Titans in quite the quarterback predicament: Tennessee will have to take a long look at both Malik Willis and Will Levis to determine who should fill-in.
If nothing else, then Sunday's loss to the Ravens paints a clearer picture of the quarterback room. Willis, the 2022 third-round pick, didn't look much improved over last year's version of himself in limited action in Week 6. That could mean that Levis' number could be called sooner rather than later.
MORE: The latest on Ryan Tannehill's injured ankle
At one point, Levis was considered to be a first-round talent at QB, but his somewhat surprising draft-night slide in 2023 meant that maybe he wasn't as close to being an NFL starter as some prognosticators and scouts presumed.
For what it's worth, head coach Mike Vrabel was non-committal on a quarterback change following the game, saying the team will wait to see the severity on Tannehill before making any kind of change. Still, it's something that should be in the back of their minds, health or not.
Here's how the Titans depth chart shakes out with Tannehill potentially hitting the shelf.
Titans QB depth chart
The Titans currently roster three quarterbacks: Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis and Will Levis. Here's how the room shapes up:
1. Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill was injured in the fourth quarter of the Week 6 Titans-Ravens matchup in London, but before that, he hadn't exactly been great in 2023.
Entering Sunday's game, Tannehill had thrown just two touchdowns to five interceptions, and added another pick vs. the Ravens, not exactly inspiring confidence in the Tennessee offense this year.
Tannehill is in the final year of his contract with Tennessee, and while he's done plenty of good as Titans QB, the ankle injury (if severe) could provide an out for the Titans coaching staff to find a "spark" in the offense — maybe that means a change under center.
2. Malik Willis
Willis entered Week 6 as the No. 2 QB behind Tannehill on the depth chart, but after Sunday's performance, he might see that standing slip more than a bit.
Despite some pressure issues along the Titans line, Willis was slow to pull the trigger and didn't exactly demonstrate the type of situational awareness that a second-year quarterback, starter or not, should have. Instead, Willis was sacked four times on nine pass attempts in a demonstration of an exceptionally poor internal clock.
The clock is a theme here, because it certainly feels like ticking on Willis' time in a Titans uniform — especially with who's behind him on the depth chart.
3. Will Levis
While Vrabel was in the room when Willis was selected in 2022, Willis wasn't a pick of current general manager Ran Carthon. Instead, the Carthon-Vrabel brain trust spent a second-round pick on Levis, who has been inactive all season.
If Tannehill ends up hitting the shelf, then it's rather convenient timing: The Titans have a Week 7 Bye, meaning the combination of an injured Tannehill and an ineffective Willis means the rookie could see a jump from inactive No. 3 to starting No. 1 in just a few weeks' time.
Levis was considered at one point to be a first-round talent, and he does have the arm talent to stick at the next level. That theory may be put to the test sooner rather than later.
