Ryan Tannehill is adjusting to his new role as backup quarterback. Uncharted territory for the 11-year veteran.
“It hits hard,” Tannehill told ESPN’s Turron Davenport on Wednesday. “I’ve never been in this situation before, never a situation that anyone wants to be in, but it’s a situation I’m in.”
The Tennessee Titans named rookie Will Levis the starting quarterback on Tuesday after he played well in the last two games. Head coach Mike Vrabel informed the team on Monday.
Tannehill is also dealing with an ankle injury that forced him to leave the Week 6 game against the Baltimore Ravens. The team was hoping the bye week that followed would allow more time for him to heal.
That wasn’t the case.
While Tannehill will take a backseat in playing, he knows he has a responsibility to be there for Levis.
“I’m going to be here to answer any questions he has and try to help him out along the way,” Tannehill said of working with Levis.
Levins told Davenport what he noticed from Tannehill in helping him since getting the QB1 job.
“Yesterday at practice, doing a good job of stepping in and letting me know that the reps, even in the beginning of practice with the 1s [were mine],” Levis said. “I didn’t want to step over him, but he came to me first to be like, ‘Hey, this is you.’ So it was cool to hear that.”
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.