The Tennessee Titans surprised everybody Wednesday afternoon when they signed journeyman QB Tim Boyle, making him the 3rd QB currently under contract ahead of the anticipated selection of Cam Ward.
Boyle is far from anybody’s competition. He’s the 3rd best QB on the roster today, and would be the 4th if Cam Ward was already around. Tennessee already added one additional QB to their ranks in free agency in Brandon Allen. So what’s the point of signing Boyle right now, and what does it mean about the other QBs on the team?
So Long, Will Levis
For starters, this move only further solidifies the impending trade of Will Levis in my mind. While it’s true that new GM Mike Borgonzi comes from Kansas City—where they regularly employ 4 quarterbacks in training camp before cutting down—I still find it probable that Levis is traded sometime before the summer rolls around. He’s now a misfit in the QB room in terms of archetype. Allen and Boyle are veteran, harmless, boring, low-level backup types who may even just be a couple of camp arms.
Levis is a struggling, young, traits-y passer who is still fighting to find his footing at this level. His presence in August in a crowded QB room wouldn’t exactly be detrimental, but it wouldn’t be what best serves the player or the team at this point. So as I said in a piece previously this week, I expect Levis to be traded before this season, and for that trade to potentially come a lot sooner than many think.
So Why Tim Boyle?
Tim Boyle is a bit an of anomaly. He wasn’t a good quarterback in college, and yet he made his way into the NFL. And as a pro, he hasn’t been a good quarterback either. Not even a little bit, in fact. What he offers as a player on Sunday is hardly desirable. So why does he have this inexplicable staying power?
The only way a player like this hangs around like Boyle has is by being fantastic in every facet from Monday through Saturday. He must be a real asset on the practice field, in a meeting room, and in the locker room. And that’s the kind of thing the Titans would like to surround a rookie QB with.
Just like Brandon Allen has ties to Head Coach Brian Callahan, Tim Boyle has ties to President Chad Brinker. Brinker headed up the Green Bay Packers’ UDFA hunt back in 2018 when he plucked Boyle from the college ranks and gave him his start in the NFL. So there’s a level of trust and familiarity there.
Boyle is also a strong game planner and valuable on a white board. For some reason we as fans tend to link ability on the field with ability in the classroom, which simply isn’t always the case. The Titans view both Boyle and Allen as assets in a room with a valuable rookie to make this team the best that it can be.
And lastly, Boyle and Allen aren’t players who need reps in practice. They’ll get them in so far as they’re needed to be camp arms, and whoever ends up being the primary backup during the season will stay tuned up. But in OTA’s and Training Camp, there will be no push to get them a certain amount of time or attention. All of that can be spent on your new starter.
