The Pittsburgh Steelers still have a long way to go in the 2023 regular season. One of the divisions the Steelers play this season is the AFC South, therefore, they are scheduled to meet up with the Tennessee Titans in Week 9 on Thursday Night Football. The Titans team the Steelers will be playing may look a little different than normal due to starting quarterback, Ryan Tannehill suffering an ankle injury.
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Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill comes with the second largest cap hit in the NFL at $36.6 million.
Tannehill suffered a right ankle injury against the Baltimore Ravens, and there are no specific details on the injury yet. Tannehill is supposed to get a MRI on his ankle when the Titans return from their trip overseas. He was seen on crutches after the game, and this is the same ankle that he injured in 2022 which forced him to miss some time to finish that season. Tannehill spoke with Turron Davenport of ESPN about his new injury.
"I couldn't put any force into the throws. I kept walking it off, but it was getting worse and worse. I figured if I'm going to be a sitting duck back there and can't step into a throw, I wouldn't be effective."
Tannehill made an attempt in the second half to return to the game, but eventually was carted off and went to the locker room. Tannehill is currently 35 years old, which makes it a little more difficult to recover from a reoccurring injury. Tannehill spoke more about his frustrations that come with being injured.
"It's not an enjoyable process. Especially when you know it's got some significance to it. But we'll see what it's going to look like and get a plan moving forward."
Obviously NFL fans everywhere are rooting for Tannehill to make a quick and full recovery, but the fact that this is the same ankle that forced him to miss some time in 2022 is concerning. If the injury is severe, the Titans will turn to second-year quarterback Malik Willis or possibly the rookie, Will Levis.
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The Tennessee Titans seem to already be fed up with quarterback Malik Willis after just one season, as they drafted Will Levis in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Steelers May Be Facing A Rookie Quarterback In Week 9
Willis is Tannehill's back up, and he replaced him in the Titans Week 6 loss to the Ravens when he initially suffered the ankle injury. Willis played relatively well in relief of Tannehill, completing four of his five passes for 74 yards while adding 17 rushing yards. In 2022, Willis had a rough rookie season. He started three games and had just 279 passing yards combined, zero passing touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing just about 50 percent of his passes. Willis was also sacked 10 times, but had a rushing touchdown.
It's safe to say that Willis is by no means an established starter in the NFL, and pretty much every time he has been on a NFL field he has struggled. Tannehill missed the last three weeks of the 2022 season due to a similar ankle injury and Willis was the starter for the team's Week 16 game. Willis played so poorly that the Titans went out and signed Joshua Dobbs off of the Detroit Lions practice squad and started him for the remainder of the season despite them still having a chance to make the playoffs.
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University of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis seems to be the consensus to be last of the big name quarterbacks to go in the first round.
Due to the way the Titans handled Willis and his struggles in 2022, it could be safe to say he will be on a short leash if Tannehill is out for an extended period of time. If Willis continues to struggle, there is a good chance that Levis will end up making some starts or at least seeing the field. With the Steelers on the schedule for the Titans in Week 9, there is a strong possibility Pittsburgh will be lining up across from the rookie from Kentucky.
Who do you think the Titans will play at quarterback in Week 9 if Tannehill is going to miss time? Let us know in the comments below!
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