Titans’ Ryan Tannehill addresses being benched for rookie Will Levis: ‘It hits hard’

It’s likely the end of an era in Nashville, as the Tennessee Titans have benched quarterback Ryan Tannehill for rookie Will Levis. The veteran Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in the Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which opened the door for the Kentucky kid to shine, and he has taken advantage of this opportunity over the last two weeks.

On Wednesday, Tannehill addressed the quarterback switch, telling reporters that, “It hits hard,” via ESPN. Still, he wants to be a professional and handle the situation the right way. 

“I wanna handle the situation with class, right?” Tannehill said. “It’s not a fun situation to be in, but I want to be a pro and handle it with class and still be a guy that he can look to. So, not an ideal situation, but you know, I want to try to handle it well.”

Tannehill said the rookie played very well in his first NFL start against the Atlanta Falcons, and did some good things last week vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, too. Levis burst onto the NFL scene in Week 8, throwing for 238 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-23 upset victory over Atlanta. He doubled Tannehill’s season passing touchdown total just in that one game. While Tennessee then fell to Pittsburgh on a short week, Levis still made some eye-popping throws, finishing with a stat line of 262 passing yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. It was enough for him to secure the starting job.

Levis, who also spoke to reporters Wednesday, praised Tannehill for how he has handled this change. He even recounted a moment in practice Tuesday, where he decided not to step over Tannehill for the reps with the “ones” at the beginning of practice. Tannehill came to him and said, “Hey, this is you.” 

Tannehill went 38-23 for the Titans over five seasons. He stepped in for the struggling Marcus Mariota in 2019 and took a 2-4 team to 9-7. That same year, Tennessee made a run all the way to the AFC Championship game, upsetting Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Foxborough, and then Lamar Jackson and the No. 1 seed Ravens the following week. The former first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins helped the Titans make the playoffs three straight years, and he currently ranks No. 5 in franchise history in passing yards, and No. 5 in QB wins.