Tennessee
Is it time for Tennessee Titans to move on from Ryan Tannehill? Here’s how it’s complicated
Quarterback succession plans are rarely clean.
Just think of how messy Aaron Rodgers’ breakup was with the Green Bay Packers. Or the six quarterbacks the New Orleans Saints have started in less than three years without Drew Brees. Soon, it’ll be the Tennessee Titans’ turn.
One question clouded the Titans’ bye week, and will continue to do so heading into the Oct. 29 game against the Atlanta Falcons: Is now the time to move on from veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill?
Tannehill is dealing with a right ankle injury, one that coach Mike Vrabel describes as similar to the one that kept him out of two games in 2022. And the Titans have second-year passer Malik Willis and rookie Will Levis developing, each in need of in-game experience as the team looks to the immediate future that might not include Tannehill, who is in the final year of his contract.
The Titans have 11 games left after this open week. Tannehill gives them the best chance to recover from their 2-4 start and make a run to the playoffs. But Levis and Willis remain mostly unknown commodities, and getting them game reps would give the Titans a better idea of what their future could look like with either youngster behind center.
Three issues make the Titans’ present even more complicated. One, there are two young backups to choose between. Two, Tannehill’s injury prognosis isn’t black-and-white. And three, the timing of these events is set against the backdrop of a trade deadline that’s less than two weeks away.
Let’s examine all three factors.
Two young quarterbacks, one Titans job
Vrabel said after the Titans returned from their trip to London, where the team lost to the Baltimore Ravens, that Tannehill will be the starter if he’s available against the Falcons. If he can’t go, Vrabel isn’t committing to Willis or Levis just yet.
“I don’t know who that would be yet,” Vrabel said. “We’ll see how they continue to practice. It’d be good to get them some work this week, maybe with some guys that they haven’t necessarily worked with. They’ve been working on the show team during the season. I’m excited to get both those guys some reps with some of our offensive guys and see how they handle that.”
Willis relieved Tannehill for three starts last season and two drives after Tannehill was injured against the Ravens. Levis hasn’t been active yet this season, but general manager Ran Carthon, in his first draft at the helm, had traded up to acquire Levis.
The two have split time with the scout team. Vrabel said he thought Willis looked improved from 2022, and that he has seen Levis’ comfort level increase throughout the season. Levis is more of an unknown at this point, but because Tannehill wasn’t expected to practice during the open week, the Titans should have had extra time to evaluate both quarterbacks as potential starters instead of as backups who can help the team in a pinch.
Contract talk and trade deadlines
Leigh Steinberg understands the Titans’ situation from both sides. One of the most successful agents in NFL history, he represented Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young when he was waiting his turn behind Joe Montana, and Drew Bledsoe, when an injury forced him out of the starting lineup and the New England Patriots turned the reins to Tom Brady.
“Was it difficult on Drew? Absolutely,” Steinberg told The Tennessean. “The only team he had known was the Patriots. He had been successful. They were happy with him. He was happy living there back in New England. He’s married. So there are all sorts of considerations that go into it. It’s a difficult situation. A player goes through different stages of reaction to it. The first is denial. ‘This can’t be really happening.’ But part of the job of the agent is constantly looking forward into the future. So this really can’t be a surprise to Tannehill.”
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The 2023 NFL trade deadline is Oct. 31. The Titans theoretically could trade Tannehill if they want to move on to the future immediately. It would be just a matter of determining if the return value would be worth losing his locker room presence and finding a partner willing to strike a deal.
Teams in search of more consistent quarterback play are littered across the league. The New York Jets fit the bill most obviously, but so arguably do the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns and the Falcons, coached by Tannehill’s former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. And as Steinberg points out, there isn’t a team anywhere that wouldn’t take Tannehill as a backup.
Quarterback trades at the deadline are rare. Only two passers have been dealt at the deadline in the past seven years: Joe Flacco in 2021 and Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017. Flacco, who was just a year older in 2021 than Tannehill is now, commanded only a conditional sixth-round pick in return as an acquired backup.
“Teams don’t tend to be empathetic and generous in their trade policy,” Steinberg said.
Defining Ryan Tannehill’s injury
The term “high ankle sprain” is a bit of a misnomer. The word “high” doesn’t refer to severity. It’s about location. Like the knee, the ankle has a bundle of ligaments. High ankle sprains are related to the ligaments on the inside of the ankle, while run-of-the-mill rolled ankles are sprains to the outside ligaments.
The sheer number of ligaments in the ankle makes it tough to prescribe any timetable for return.
“Obviously medicine doesn’t (have a) cookbook where you can say ‘high ankle sprain: x, y, z,’ ” said Dr. Kenneth Jung, foot and ankle specialist for the Los Angeles Rams and at the Cedars Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute. “There are several ligaments involved. With each of the ligaments you can have different amounts of severity . . . So in the constellation of ligaments that are involved here, each one that you add to the equation adds some variability with regards to recovery.”
Tannehill injured the same ankle last year and had it surgically repaired. Jung said that surgically repaired ankles shouldn’t be more susceptible to future injury or make rehab more difficult. As long as the ligaments and joint in Tannehill’s ankle are stable — whether naturally because the sprain wasn’t severe, or because it was artificially stabilized by surgery or sutures — the ankle should heal with rest and rehab.
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So is the time now?
Steinberg wants to make one thing clear: He’s not in the business of telling teams or GMs what to do. But based on his nearly five decades around the NFL, he can spot a trend.
“In analysis, it looks like right now is the time most teams would make the transition,” he said. “They have a player that’s injured and might be injured for more time. Arguably this is the time to make the transition.”
There’s nothing more important in today’s NFL than having a franchise quarterback. Until Willis and/or Levis get more playing time, it’ll be tough for the Titans to know if they have one lurking on the roster. But given the Titans’ stance on playing for now versus preparing for tomorrow, the move still might be a little ways away.
“I think we’re always looking for this year,” Vrabel said.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.
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Tennessee legislature: 3 key issues to watch
The 114th Tennessee General Assembly convenes on Jan. 14 for a new two-year term.
The 114th General Assembly gaveled in at the Tennessee state Capitol Tuesday for a legislative session expected to largely focus on education issues as Gov. Bill Lee seeks to push through a private school voucher proposal.
With few election shake-ups last fall, lawmakers returned to a legislature with little change in the status quo. Republicans still hold a strong supermajority, and prexisting leadership will preside over both chambers.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday reelected Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, as Speaker of the Senate. Senate Democrats all abstained from the vote.
“Each General Assembly I’ve gaveled in seems to be better than the last,” McNally said.
In the House, Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, also easily won reelection to lead the chamber. Democrats nominated House Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, and unanimously voted for her.
“The people of District 52 will not vote for an authoritarian!” Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, yelled from his seat before casting his vote for Camper.
As Republican members called their votes for Sexton, a spectator yelled out “boo!” and “gross!” from the west gallery – prompting a chuckle from the sitting speaker, who stood to one side as the election was held.
“I greatly appreciate all that voted for me today, and for those of you who didn’t, I do know some of you wanted to, and I understand that,” Sexton said. “Over the last five years, we’ve all learned a lot. My goal is to be more efficient, empower Tennesseans over the government and uphold our constitutional duty of public oversight.”
Notably, some desks were rearranged on the House floor since last year. Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, who had previously been seated near each other and have frequently clashed with their Republican colleagues, were both moved. Pearson is now seated next to Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, in a sea of Republican desks across the chamber from the Democratic caucus. Jones has been moved to the front, near the speaker’s dais.
The House Select Committee on Rules convened later Tuesday afternoon to discuss proposed changes to the rules. Ahead of the meeting, proposed rules changes included a limit on the number of bills each member can propose, and a “three-strikes” rule proposing to permanently ban members of the public found to be disruptive from the gallery.
The initial weeks of a legislative session are often slow-moving as committees get settled and bills began to make their way through the legislative process. The Senate is expected to name committee assignments on Thursday. Many eyes will be on the appointment of the Senate Education Committee chair after former Sen. Jon Lundberg’s ouster last year in the GOP primary. The committee will prove pivotal in the voucher issue.
Advocates on both side of the issue mingled in the Capitol halls on Tuesday.
There are rumblings that Lee intends to call a special session in late January on his voucher bill.
The effort failed last year amid legislative gridlock. A special session call would allow lawmakers to narrow their focus on the issue, which could be tied to disaster relief funding for areas of East Tennessee.
This is an opinion column.
Who knew it was an option to simply change the names of things that don’t belong to us?
The possibilities are endless. You don’t have to actually change anything. You just have to call it something else.
For personal reasons, I’d like to rename Tennessee “Dorkland.” No offense to actual dorks. For personal reasons, Tennesseans have called me worse.
I’ve never understood why Alabama, which presumably dares defend its rights of way, allows the Dorkland River to flow freely in and out of its borders. Maybe we should just call it the River Sticks. Because you cross it to get to hillbilly hell.
It’s freeing to rename things that annoy you. There’s a president, I mean precedent, for it. And bodies of water are a good start.
Lake Superior is in the state of Canada, for Pete’s sake. It should rightly be called Lake Inferior. And the Pacific Ocean sounds like some hippy dippy draft dodger with “bad feet.” Let’s call it the Ocean of American Might. That’ll make waves.
Most rivers in Alabama are named for Native American culture, and I like that, except in the case of the one mentioned above. Lakes, on the other hand, are generally named for Alabama Power execs or their mothers, lawyers, engineers or friends. I’d change them in a Reddy Kilowatt, to Atlantic, Ventnor and Marvin Gardens. Park Place and Boardwalk. You know. Monopoly properties.
I guess New Mexico has to change. But I’m sure smart people are already thinking that.
I’m curious, too, why we never bothered to name the moon. It’s there every night and it’s just … moon. It’s like calling your dog “Dog” or your kid “Kid.” We planted a flag in that thing, so give it a fitting name: Yankee Doodle Flashlight. Or is it a gaslight?
But before you can change the heavens you have to change the wrongs closer to home.
There’s an Alabama town called Cuba 11 miles west of Intercourse. Of course we can’t have that. Cuba, I mean. We’ll call it Foreplay instead.
An hour northeast of Needmore, a little less than an hour northwest of Smuteye, is the community of Little Texas. There are only about 1,200 people there, but they need to own it. Forget the Little, and just call them Texas. The state of Texas? We’ll call it West Smuteye.
Marshall County has an Egypt and an Arab (rhymes with Ahab). It’s probably why the county has the third-highest immigrant population rate in the state. Alabama has a Berlin, a Havana and a Rome — where all roads do not lead.
There’s the Abel community in Cleburne County, just across the Talladega National Forest from Waldo, if you know where to find Waldo. As the Bible tells us Abel was a loser, so that has to change. Just call it Cain.
For that matter, why don’t we change the names of names.
Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan has not earned the right to be Tuscaloosa’s Nick S. (or a paycheck 22 times the median household income in the state, but that’s another story). Let’s just call him Temp.
That singer from Alabama, India Ramey, is tearing up Nashville these days. She’s great. But I’m afraid we’re going to have to call her Indiana. For America’s sake.
Cuba Gooding Jr. must be Cuba Not-so-Gooding. And while I hate it for Tennessee Williams, he will now have to be Dorkland Williams. It’s not even fair.
But hey, I’m just calling ‘em what I see ‘em.
In a world where greed is godly, thought control is liberty and theocracy is religious freedom, a rose is whatever you want to call it.
John Archibald is a two-time Pulitzer winner who, in actuality, has nothing at all against the great state of Tennessee. Or Dorkland.
The first bill filed ahead of the start of the Tennessee legislative session reintroduces universal school vouchers, a topic that failed to find support last year.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tuesday marks the start of the 2025 Tennessee legislative session — an annual process that brings state lawmakers to Nashville to discuss and decide on proposals that can impact all of the state’s 7.2 million residents.
This will be the 114th General Assembly, meaning it will be the 114th group of lawmakers to gather in the capital — whether it be located in Nashville, Knoxville, Kingston or Murfreesboro — to pass laws. The first General Assembly was on March 28, 1796.
There is a Republican supermajority this legislative session, as there has been in the previous years. This means that Democratic lawmakers could effectively not show up and there would still be enough lawmakers to pass laws. There will be 27 Republicans in the Senate with six Democratic members. The House of Representatives has 75 Republicans and 24 Democratic members.
Effectively, nothing changed in the makeup of this session compared to the previous one. However, some previous Republican lawmakers had their seats taken by new Republican members. Some of those members, such as Republican Representative Rick Scarbrough, were voted into their seats after collecting donations from a PAC that supports universal school voucher proposals.
The first bill filed of this session reintroduces the program, which drew the ire of educators and community members across East Tennessee. Its mostly Republican supporters argue that the proposal increases school choice for Tennessee families. However, educators and advocates condemned it for using public money to fund private school expenses.
Last year, the proposal failed after three competing bills were introduced, each with different rules for the program. This year, there is a single bill to start the program. It includes a $2,000 bonus for teachers and requirements for private schools to be accredited. It also bases scholarships for families on the amount of money students generate for schools, according to the state’s TISA formula.
Democratic lawmakers and advocates contend that despite the changes, the core of the proposal remains the same — using public money to pay for private school expenses. They say that it effectively removes funding for public schools, which already face tight budgets. They also argue that the proposal leaves out rural families who may not have private school options, and said the funding will only subsidize private education costs instead of outright paying for them.
Abortion also promises to be a contentious topic, as it has been for several years. This year, Republican lawmakers proposed banning abortion care medication from being sent in the state’s mail system, further restricting abortion care access in a state already known for having one of the country’s most restrictive abortion care bans.
Democratic lawmakers proposed abolishing the state’s grocery tax as a way to help families save money while prices continue to rise nationally for most goods. Republican leaders said they hope to refine the proposal to keep the tax in place, in some form.
Proposals that expand police powers to detain undocumented immigrants and require different IDs to be given to immigrants have also been introduced, along with a proposal that could effectively expand the state’s anti-transgender bathroom rules.
This legislative session will also be held during the first term of President-elect Donald Trump, who many state lawmakers and leaders including Governor Bill Lee have met and expressed support for in the past. Lee signed onto a pledge with 25 other Republican governors in December to support Trump’s immigration policies, which he said include plans for mass deportations.
The legislative session will also begin with a lawsuit continuing to go through the courts that Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) filed against Lee. In it, he said his constitutional rights were violated when leaders tried to stop his dissent on issues like gun restrictions by expelling and silencing him.
Usually, legislative sessions last until late April or May of each year.
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