Ryan Tannehill had a very human reaction to getting benched for Will Levis as starting quarterback of the Titans.
Tannehill suffered an ankle injury against the Ravens in Week 6, with Levis getting the starts the last two weeks.
On Tuesday, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel announced that Levis had supplanted Tannehill as starter.
Tannehill spoke to reporters on Wednesday about how he feels about the decision.
“It hits hard,” Tannehill said. “I’ve never been in this situation before, so it hits hard and it’s never a situation anyone wants to be in. But it’s the situation I’m in, so I’ve got to walk through it.”
Tannehill added, “I want to handle the situation with class. It’s not a fun situation to be in, but I want to be a pro and handle it with class and still be a guy that people can look to.”
Tannehill was asked if he thought he would lose his starting role when he got hurt.
“No, not initially,” Tannehill said.
“As times progressed, I tried to walk through those emotions and prepare myself and see the possibility. But in the initial moment, no.”
Levis’ first start for the Titans yielded a 28-23 victory over the Falcons, while the team lost 20-16 to the Steelers in his second start last Thursday night.
Tannehill, 35, is in his fifth year with the Titans after spending six seasons with the Dolphins and is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Vrabel explained his decision to roll with Levis for the rest of the year on Tuesday.
“We are going to go with Will,” the Titans coach said.
“We think it’s the best opportunity for our football team right now. We’ll see where he’s [Ryan] at is at. We’ll progress through here this week. We think, hopeful [he’ll] be a backup for us and prepare as a starter. That’s where we are at right now. I shared that with the team and had a conversation with everyone involved. That’s how that will look like.”
The Titans selected Levis 33rd overall in this year’s NFL Draft. after he surprisingly fell to the second round.
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