Mike Vrabel turned over 40% of the Tennessee Titans roster this season in an effort to build a team in his image, but after a 2-4 start things look bleak.
Making things worse, Ryan Tannehill was injured in the team's loss on Sunday and the team had to turn to Malik Willis. For the few Tennessee Titans fans who watched Willis in the preseason and still held out hope that he might have gotten a little bit better, the 4th quarter of that game should have shut that down.
While he looks good in the box score, nearly everything he did well came on a screen pass to Tyjae Spears where Willis had virtually nothing to do with the play. After that, his day mostly consisted of taking sacks or escaping pressure only to get sacked later in the play because he couldn't make a play.
It got so frustrating for the coaching staff that Mike Vrabel could be clearly seen on the sideline yelling for Willis to throw the ball late in the game.
Assuming that Ryan Tannehill is going to miss several games (if not the whole season) with his ankle injury, there will be a quarterback change in Tennessee. With a bye week ahead, there isn't a single reason that Mike Vrabel should start Malik Willis over Will Levis.
This is a no-brainer for the Tennessee Titans
I have been very vocal that I didn't like the Will Levis pick, but you know who did victory laps and fist pumps after the Will Levis pick? Mike Vrabel and Ran Carthon.
Despite having a team with several holes on the roster, Vrabel and Carthon traded up to get Will Levis essentially spending their 2023 2nd round pick, and 2024 3rd round pick, and swapping their 3rd round picks in that draft on the QB.
Vrabel and Carthon called him a first-round player on their board and raved about him. That was great in April, but now the Tennessee Titans have to put their money where their mouth is and make a move.
I'm not saying that Will Levis needs to come in and turn this thing around and guide the Tennessee Titans to the postseason. However, he needs to do what Malik Willis has failed to do over the last year and a half, and that is to show flashes of potential that lead you to believe that he might be a franchise QB.
For what it is worth, the Tennessee Titans currently have the 8th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and as things stand right now, there are only one or two games left on the schedule where the Titans might be favored.
It is very easy to imagine the Titans ending up with a top-5 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and if it gets to that point then Mike Vrabel and Ran Carthon need to have absolute clarity on whether or not they have the quarterback situation settled.
If they do, then they can focus on arguing between Ola Fashanu Penn State's 20-year-old phenom at left tackle, or Marvin Harrison the best wide receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson.
However, if Will Levis clearly isn't the guy, then the Titans have to hope that this potentially elite QB class shakes out in a way that allows a good QB to fall into their laps.
With the playoffs a pipe dream at this point, this franchise has one goal and that is figuring out the future of the quarterback position. If there is any confusion about that, Amy Adams Strunk needs to make that abundantly clear to Mike Vrabel.