Titans Rumors: Ryan Tannehill Entering 2023 as QB1 Despite Will Levis Draft Pick

The Tennessee Titans have a crowded quarterback room after using a second-round pick to draft Will Levis, but the team reportedly is sticking with a familiar face under center for the start of the 2023 season.

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported on Wednesday's episode of NFL Live that veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill will be Tennessee's Week 1 starter over Levis and 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis.

"This is his team. He's the guy," Russini said of Tannehill.

Levis surprisingly fell out of the first round after being projected as a potential top-10 pick. After drafting offensive lineman Peter Skoronski 11th overall, the Titans pounced on the opportunity to add a quarterback of the future by trading up in the second round to land Levis. However, his selection raised questions about Tannehill's future with the franchise.

The 34-year-old is entering the final year of his contract, and he will carry a $36.6 million cap hit in 2023. There had been some speculation that Tannehill would be cut or traded this offseason, but Tennessee appears committed to running it back with him for at least one more year while Levis and Willis develop.

For his part, Tannehill didn't stress the addition of Levis to the team because his sole focus is on performing on the field.

"We've been down this road before, so it's definitely a little bit of deja vu," Tannehill said last week, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com. "[Coach] Mike [Vrabel] and [general manager] Ran [Carthon] make those decisions. My job is to go out and try to win football games."

His job remains the same, as Tannehill will be tasked with helping Tennessee bounce back from a disappointing finish to last season in which it lost seven consecutive games to end the year with a 7-10 record.