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Tennessee Titans Super Bowl chances shrink after 2022 NFL Draft

By Brendan Danaher

A.J. Brown (11), wide receiver -- Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019.Titans 121519 002
A.J. Brown (11), wide receiver -- Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019.Titans 121519 002 /
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Tennessee Titans
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MAR 02: Malik Willis #QB16 of the Liberty Flames speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Tennessee Titans send a message to Ryan Tannehill with Malik Willis pick

The Titans were not done adjusting their roster significantly when they selected Liberty quarterback Malik Willis in the third round of the draft with the 86th pick overall. This came as a surprise to many, yes another surprise, as Willis had been linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a large portion of the off-season.

There are several reasons this was concerning for the Titans’ future. While starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill had such a poor performance in the playoffs last season he has been the defacto starter of the Titans since 2019 and signed a substantial four-year contract netting him a potential $118 million.

Tannehill has also helped drive the Titans to the playoffs three times since joining them via trade by the Miami Dolphins. Rumors have surfaced prior to the draft of Tannehill not being included in conversations with the front office, not showing up for voluntary workouts, and now the rumors of him not being notified of the Willis pick ahead of time are out there.

The debate could go on for the days but there is no clear answer at this time if Tannehill will complete his contract as the starting quarterback with the Titans until the conclusion of the 2023 season.

The questions surrounding this move are certain; Is Willis an upgrade to Tannehill? Does he have the potential to be as good or better than Tannehill? Was Willis the best QB the Titans could have drafted? Won’t this make Tannehill play worse in 2022?

Most of the questions cannot be answered in May of 2022 but answers will be here when the season kicks off in September.

It can’t be a surprise however if Tannehill feels unwelcome in Tennessee now with the arrival of the rookie and it will likely not bode well for his performance in 2022.

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