Ryan Tannehill may or may not be hearing footsteps, but he definitely doesn’t want to take on extra job responsibilities.
The Titans drafted Malik Willis, quarterback out of Liberty, in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Saturday. Tannehill, who will not have to stave off Willis immediately to keep the starting job but will probably have to down the road, said he texted Willis after the draft but stopped short of saying he’d mentor the young quarterback.
“That’s part of being in a quarterback room, in the same room — we’re competing against each other, we’re watching the same tape, we’re doing the same drills,” Tannehill told reporters on Tuesday. “I don’t think it’s my job to mentor him. But if he learns from me along the way, then that’s a great thing.”
Last year, the Titans went 12-5 and were the No. 1 seed in the AFC. This was despite the fact that star running back Derrick Henry missed the team’s final nine regular season games with a foot injury.
However, Tannehill struggled in Tennessee’s playoff game against the Bengals, throwing three interceptions as Cincinnati won 19-16.
It was the second straight year that Tannehill’s postseason performance fell short after a robust regular season. In 2020, the Titans lost at home in the wild-card round to the Ravens, 20-13, with Tannehill throwing an interception with less that 2 minutes left in the game to seal the win for Baltimore.
