Ryan Tannehill may miss time with high ankle sprain

The Titans could potentially find themselves without their starting quarterback for an extended period of time.

According to a report from ESPN, Ryan Tannehill suffered a high ankle sprain during the team’s loss to the Ravens in London on Sunday.

Interestingly, this is the same ankle that Tannehill injured last season. He managed to miss a couple of games initially before aggravating the injury, which ultimately led to him going on injured reserve.

Fortunately, the Titans have a bye in Week 7 after their game overseas, providing Tannehill with some valuable time to recover. Despite this, head coach Mike Vrabel stated that if Tannehill is healthy, he will be the starter when the Titans face the Falcons in Week 8. However, Tannehill’s availability remains uncertain.

As Vrabel mentioned, “We’ll see how it goes. We have some time here before our next game, and Ryan will get treatment around the clock. This will be a big week to see how he progresses and then we’ll make a decision on his availability next week and what we do then.”

In the event that Tannehill is unable to play, the Titans will have to rely on Malik Willis or rookie Will Levis to step up as the starting quarterback. Willis, a third-round pick in 2022, acted as the backup in Sunday’s game and played for 18 snaps. He exhibited promising performance by completing 4-of-5 passes for 74 yards and rushing for 17 yards on three attempts. However, he also encountered some challenges with four sacks and a penalty wiping out another play.

Regarding the potential replacement, Vrabel commented, “It will be one of those two guys if Ryan can’t go. I don’t know who that would be yet. We’ll see how they continue to practice. It will be good to get them work this week with some guys they haven’t necessarily worked with. They’ve been primarily focused on the show team during the season, so I am thrilled to give both of them some reps with our key offensive players and see how they handle the situation.”

Notably, the Titans will have a short turnaround after their Week 8 match with the Falcons as they will have to travel and play against the Steelers on Thursday night in Week 9.