Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Can Ryan Tannehill Lead Tennessee Titans to Ceiling? Will Levis Breakout & Malik Willis Chaos

Episode Date: June 18, 2023

The Tennessee Titans look to be moving on from Ryan Tannehill after the season, but can Tannehill get the job done in his "Last Dance?" Can Tannehill take this team to their ceiling? Next, with all the Titans invested in Will Levis, he needs to look the part if he plays in 2023. Finally, Malik Willis is a dark horse to make the roster, but could he create max chaos by beating out Will Levis for the backup role?Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/lockedonnfl and when you enter promo code, LOCKEDONNFL, they’ll throw in a free custom birddogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Ryan Tannehill get the Tennessee Titans to their ceiling in 2023? I think that he can, and I'll explain why on today's edition of the Locked On Titans Podcast. Let's get it! You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland.

Titans fans, today begins our positional preview series before training camp. We're going to start with the quarterback spot. Can Tannehill lead this team to their ceiling? Will Will Levis break out like the Titans hope? And can Malik Willis as a dark horse take the quarterback to spot? We're going to talk about all that before we get into it. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, the official sportsbook of the NFL.

Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash locked on to get started today. Thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all apps all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, where it's your team every day. Again, this is the start of our positional preview before training camp.

We're going to go with every single position through the offense and the defense throughout the next few weeks, starting, of course, with quarterback, and we'll dive right in. It is Ryan Tannehill's last stand. He's going into the last year of his contract with the Titans, and with back-to-back seasons of seeing a quarterback get drafted in the first three rounds, it is hard to expect that the Titans would have Tannehill on the roster going forward after this year. So if this is Ryan Tannehill's last stand, and let me know down in the comments, let me know if you think this is Ryan Tannehill's last season with the Titans.

And throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching right now. It helps support the channel. And the show's always free. All I ask for in return is the press of a button. But can Ryan Tannehill get this team to their ceiling in 2023? My answer is yes. Because based on what the roster has right now, I have said all along,

I think the Titans ceiling this year is 11 wins. And we have seen Ryan Tannehill, when properly supported, deliver that many wins. 11-5, 12-5. We've seen Tannehill do this. We have.

In 12 games last year, it was ugly. I mean, 65% completion percentage, 211 yards per game, a 13-6 interception ratio. But at the end of the day, that's not much different than what he did in 2021 when the Titans went 12-5 and got the number one seed in the AFC.

He had 67% completion percentage, 219 yards per game. That's not much different than the two 11 that he had. He went for 3,700 yards total in 2021, 21 touchdowns, 14 interceptions. I mean, he basically was on pace to give you a similar numbers to what he gave you in 2021 with a lesser roster. In 2020, I mean, 65% completion, 238 yards per game, 3,800, 33 touchdowns, 7 interceptions. He's not backed by the supporting cast he got in 2020. He doesn't have Arthur Smith calling plays.

But again, it's not going to be Tannehill's fault if the Titans don't reach their ceiling this year. If you want to go to 2021 and you want to tell me it was Tannehill's fault that they lost that playoff game to the Bengals, then look, I'm not going to fight with you. I agree with you. That's in the past though. What we have to talk about is what could Tannehill do with this cast of characters? And if you remember, in 2021,

the Titans had 91 players on their roster in NFL record. So is the Titans' current supporting cast win healthy? Are they significantly worse than what Tannehill had to work with most days in 2021? That's up for debate. Now, there's obviously one big difference, and that's A.J. Brown. But if, let's say, the Titans were to bring in DeAndre Hopkins, now you've got Burks and Hopkins. I think that you're giving Tannehill a very similar group to what you gave him in 2021. And I think that he can give you similar production from 2021. So to me, if the Titans hit their ceiling this year,

or don't hit their ceiling this year, let's say that if the Titans the Titans hit their ceiling this year or don't hit their ceiling this year, let's say that if the Titans do not hit their ceiling this year, if it's another 7-10 season, 8-9 season, I don't think that it's going to be Tannehill's fault. We get into the playoffs. Now all those little inches matter even more. The little differences between talent of their quarterback and our quarterback and all that stuff matters even more.

Everything is intensified. Everything is magnified in the playoffs. So if you ask me, can Tannehill take this team to a Super Bowl? I'm going to tell you, I don't think so. I know some of you guys think that he can, but I'm going to tell you, I don't think so. But what I know is with this roster, it's not going to be Tannehill's fault

if the Titans don't reach their ceiling. Tannehill and Derrick Henry are constants that we can rely on here. It's all of the other factors that are going to decide how far the Titans go, who Tim Kelly is as an offensive coordinator, Traylon Burks and the rest of the pass catchers. Can Burks and Chigga Conquo and maybe even a Kyle Phillips, maybe even a Tajay Spears, can these guys really step up and be every Sunday NFL playmakers for the Titans?

Can the offensive line protect Ryan Tannehill? I mean, I believe that Tannehill got sacked like 33 times or 38 times last year and he only played in 12 games. So, it's all the other things around Tannehill and around Derrick Henry on offense that I'm curious to see how they play out. But for me, Tannehill, he's got to be himself. And I think if he's himself,

and the Titans are pretty solid around him, he's not going to be the reason why the Titans don't hit their ceiling of wins in 2023. And I think if you support Tannehill, he has proven to you that he can get 11, 12 wins in the right situation. Again, getting to the playoffs, different story, but Tannehill in his last stand with the Titans

is not going to be what holds the Titans back from hitting their ceiling in 2023. And that's my general point here. But we're going to continue looking at the quarterback position. Who is a breakout candidate at quarterback and who's a dark horse to make the roster? We're going to talk about all that and much more before we get into it though. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Baseball season is in full swing and there's no

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when you join FanDuel today. Again, go to FanDuel.com slash locked on to sign up. FanDuel, official partner of Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball trademarks used with permission. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We are doing our positional preview for Titans training camp, starting with the quarterback spot. Again, we're going to go through the entire roster. And with quarterback, there's only three guys to talk about on the roster.

But some of the conversations that we have at positions with more numbers are going to be very, very interesting. We're going to look at some positional battles. And obviously, there's a battle between Malik Willis and Will Levis for quarterback too. But I want to talk about these guys individually in different scenarios. And for me, when you look at who the breakout candidate is for the Titans at quarterback,

I know that a lot of people are going to disagree with me here, but they wouldn't have a couple weeks ago. And that is Will Levis. To me, the breakout candidate is Will Levis, not Malik Willis. And I'll explain why. Before I do, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content,

all apps, all year long, always for free. Again, we're going position by position through the offense and the defense. Don't miss any of the great shows I have coming up for you guys throughout the next few weeks leading up to Titans training camp. But I picked Will Levis for this as the breakout candidate because at the end of the day, and I've said it, I'm going to keep saying it, the Titans told you what they think of Malik Willis. The Titans, Mike Vrabel, Rand Carthon, they told you how they feel about Malik Willis

when they traded a third round pick next year, traded up in the second round, and drafted Will Levis. The Titans were trying to come into the back of the first round to get Will Levis. They wanted him so badly.

I'm sorry, guys, but we talk words. Actions mean more than words. The Titans actions told us that they wanted Will Levis more than they wanted Malik Willis. I'm sorry. There's no other way to cut it. And I won't believe anything else

than any other theories that people try to sell me as to why. Yeah, you could take a chance on quarterback over and over and over again, but when you have Tannehill in his last stand and you're trying to win, you can't sacrifice that valuable of a pick and a third-round pick in the next year when you're going to need to restock the roster. You can't sacrifice all of that for just,

hey, we're taking dark throws at quarterback and seeing what sticks that is not the logic behind their move to get Will Levis it is obvious that they believed in him as a prospect more than Malik Willis so for me it would be a bigger disaster for the Titans if Will Levis just is a true bust. Like a lot of you guys already thought he was. Like a lot of you guys already thought coming out of college. And I'll be honest, like I thought with Levis coming out of college. So if Levis gets the opportunity to play this year

and he doesn't look better than what we saw from Malik Willis last year, that's not good because Tannehill, again, back to Tannehill, on the last year of his contract, make no mistake about it, everybody, the Titans expected Will Levis to play quarterback for them next year. The plan is, don't extend Tannehill, let Tannehill go, and then play Will Levis on a cheap rookie contract for the next three years while you stock the roster around him and try to get good enough to win a Super Bowl. That is the plan.

So, if Levis has to play, and look, this is not a Malik Willis situation. All of you guys, anybody out there, I know it's not a lot of you, but there are some people who tell me, hey, Will Levis needs a redshirt year. But, I'm sorry, but if you go back and you look at any of the quarterbacks

that are worth anything over the last few years, they ended up playing the last year of their first year, at the end of their first year. They ended up starting their second year. And all these guys have shown something or they haven't. So I just, I understand the logic of, hey, we need to give this guy time to develop. But Malik Willis should not, we shouldn't look at Will Levis

like we look at Malik Willis, where he needs a redshirt season. No. The Titans were trying to trade up into the first round to get Will Levis. He should be able to play in year one. I'm not saying he has to be great, but he should look better than Malik looked last year. We shouldn't treat Will Levis like we treated Malik Willis with this red shirt year. Yes, he needs development, but nobody looked at Will Levis and was like, hey, this guy cannot play

year one at all. He absolutely has to have a red shirt year, but maybe that would help him. I'm sorry. If Will Levis plays in 2023 to obtain a heel injury or what have you, I expect more out of him than I expected out of Malik Willis. And if he doesn't show it and he's just as bad as Willis was, that's worse for the Titans because of what they invested in Will Levis. I mean, we all tried to find the positives. Well, maybe not everybody, but me tried to find the positives with the Will Levis pick. And one of the big positives of the Will Levis pick was pro-ready. The opposite of Malik. Malik barely took snaps under center in his life, came from a low level of college football. Was not ready whatsoever.

Well, everybody said, Will Levis played in pro style, similar to the Titans. He should fit right away. Hand in glove schematically. All of that and we're talking about a guy who didn't play at Liberty. We're talking about a guy who had 66% completion percentage,

2,800 yards, 24 touchdowns, 13 interceptions in 2021. And then 2022, 65% completion, 2,400 yards, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions. I mean, this is a guy who played SEC football, put up decent numbers, and was in a pro-style offense. And we were sold by anybody who believed in Levis that one of the big positives is that he would be more pro-ready.

He might be so pro-ready, he might be able to play right away. So, if Levis goes out there and looks as bad as Malik or worse, then I'm going to be more critical of Levis than I was of Malik because we know that Malik needed that redshirt year. And I was even super critical of Malik too. So all I'm saying is the Titans need Will Levis to be a breakout guy.

Right now, all of the camp buzz is about Malik Willis looking better than him. And that's fine. And I'll talk about that in just a moment when we talk about Malik. But for me, what matters most is by the end of the year, Will Levis should resemble, be a caricature, be a silhouette of a starting quarterback. Or that is scary for the Titans. Because if Levis is an absolute bust

and looks the way that Malik looked in his rookie season, then the Titans are up creek without a paddle when it comes to a quarterback in 2024. And both Malik Willis and Will Levis as a plan will not have come to pass. And that is a dangerous, dangerous timeline for the Titans. So I know a lot of people are typing, it's Malik Willis is the breakout guy. But look, I'm sorry for me. I still a lot of people are typing. It's Malik Willis is the breakout guy. But look, I'm sorry for me. I still think it's Will Levis. And if it's not Will Levis, Titans might be in trouble. So Titans might be in trouble anyway, though, when it comes to quarterback, but that remains to be seen. But when it comes to a dark horse candidate to make the roster, there's only

three guys at quarterback. So I'm sure you guys can do the math on that. But we're going to talk about Malik Willis and why I still think there is a pretty good chance at this point that he could make the roster for the Titans. So we're going to dive into that in just a moment. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. It is our positional preview series prior to training camp for the Titans. We're going to go position by position through the offense and defense over the next few weeks, breaking down the entire 90-man roster as we head towards training camp. Talking about quarterback now, and obviously with quarterback, there's only so many people who are going to be in the position, different than other positions, of course. But we talked about Ryan Tannehill, whether he can lead

the Titans to their ceiling in 2023, which I think that he can. Will Levis being a breakout guy, which the Titans need to happen. But now let's talk about what I continue to call the Malik Willis chaos. So we experienced a little bit of Malik Willis chaos here in the last week of OTAs. The reports came out. Especially that last day. We talked about it. Every day is remembered. Will Levis, looking bad through three picks. Not all his fault,

but it's three interceptions nonetheless. And then Malik Willis, looking good. So Levis struggling. Malik Willis looking good. The narratives, the chaos. Everybody's talking about, what if struggling. Malik Willis looking good. The narratives. The chaos. Everybody's talking about, what if it's Malik Willis? Half the people are, I always believed in Malik Willis.

And I get it. But the reason that I put Malik Willis as my dark horse to make the roster is because, again, how much the Titans paid to get Will Levis. You don't do all of that if you believe in Malik Willis. You simply don't. A team isn't going to allocate their resources in that way, that heavily to that position. So while the training camp reports are that Malik Willis is looking better

and Will Levis is struggling. These are OTAs. And while they are important in a sense, because every little thing matters, at the end of the day, we have been bamboozled by camp reports before. I mean, what was it? Des Fitzpatrick won an offseason award for the Titans

going into training camp. You know, stuff like that. So while I do think that Malik Willis has progressed, and I do think he's more comfortable and more decisive and all of those things, which he should be, is it enough to put him ahead of Will Levis? I don't know. I don't think so.

Because of everything, again, that the Titans invested in Will Levis. But at the end of the day, Mike Vrabel is a guy who is going to reward the person who earns it. It's just the way that he operates. It's the culture of the Titans. So I think if Malik Willis really does go out there and beat out Will Levis and perform better, not only in training camp, not only in joint practices,

but preseason as well, which we'll see, there's no way that they can go with Levis over Malik and look the locker room in the face. There's no way. So to me, Malik out playing Will Levis is maximum chaos and if Malik Willis ends up being the quarterback for the Titans again

maximum chaos I talked about it at the end of the show last week maximum chaos and I'm here for it because like I said last week and every dayers will remember I don't care who becomes the Titans quarterback of the future as long as they find him.

So it could be Malik Willis and I'll be wrong. It could be Will Levis and I'll be wrong about that too. But that's fine with me because the Tennessee Titans found their quarterback of the future. See what I'm saying? So to me, it's always max chaos for Malik. But at the end of the day, 50% completion percentage last year. 276 yards.

Playing in eight games. Starting three. Had one rushing touchdown, but zero passing touchdowns. Three interceptions. Three fumbles. We have no game evidence to say that Malik Willis is going to make the roster or beat out Will Levis. We don't have any evidence to that.

So based on what the Titans paid to get Levis, what we've seen from Willis, he would be a dark horse to make the roster. Now here's where the new NFL rule that they approved where you could keep a third emergency quarterback active on game day, but it won't count towards your actives on game day. That is big for Malik Willis because I think the Titans would consider keeping him on the 53-man roster,

knowing that they could elevate him on game day and it won't count against him. Now, at the end of the day, though, that's still one of the 53 roster spots, and the Titans in recent years haven't shown that they want to keep three quarterbacks on the roster. But again, Rand Carthon came from San Francisco, where this year they are going to keep three quarterbacks on their roster because of what they went through in that playoff game down to their fourth quarterback. So maybe Rand Carthon will influence Mike Vrabel and say, hey, maybe we should keep three quarterbacks. And with Tannehill being 35,

and with Tannehill being so injured last year missing five games, I think it may be wise to do that. And that may be something, and with the rule change, it may be something the NFL teams do more often going forward. So Malik has a shot from that perspective. If he completely go into Malik Willis chaos mode and beat out Will Levis, I'm here for it. I would be wrong and I'd accept being wrong,

but that's definitely the dark horse option still in my mind. But if you think I got any of this wrong, if you think that Will Levis should be the dark horse and Malik Willis should be the breakout guy, whatever you think, let me know down below. I typically take some time to respond. Also, it was Father's Day. Shout out to my dad.

I know I missed Mother's Day a little bit. Shout out to my mom, of course, too. I think I missed that as well. But just want to say, I know anytime you say anything like this, the people on the other side say, well, what about, what about-ism? It runs rampant these days.

But shout out to single fathers. I think one of the least, single mothers get a lot of conversation, as they should, as they should. But no one ever really talks about single fathers. And I was raised by a single father, so I just want to give a shout out to single parents in general, of course.

Again, anytime you say something like, well what about single mothers? I love single mothers too. Shout out to them. But it was Father's Day on Sunday and I was raised by a single parent, a single father, which you don't hear about a lot and I just want to give a shout out to my dad and the single

fathers out there because you know, they deserve it. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host. Hold on. Wait a minute, guys. I'm practicing the new outro. So hang with me here.

I get real hype when I get it. But anyways, that is going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titan.