The Tennessee Titans headed into the 2019 offseason with a backup quarterback problem to solve, and they’ve made a move to address it.
On March 15, the Titans traded a 2020 fourth-round pick and a 2019 seventh-round pick in exchange for former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill and a 2019 sixth-round pick.
Tennessee signed him to a one-year deal with a restructured contract that will guarantee him $7 million, with an opportunity to make up to $12 million in incentives for the 2019 season.
Tannehill says he’s “ready to get to work” in Nashville, and there’s a number of possibilities as to how he could end up contributing.
Here are three ways the acquisition could ultimately shake out:
1. Mariota gets injured and Tannehill has a career year to surpass him as the starter.
It’s no secret Marcus Mariota has spent more than his fair share of time sidelined due to injuries in recent seasons. While poor offensive line play is largely to blame, the quarterback’s ability to stay healthy is a concern.
It wouldn’t exactly be a stretch for Mariota to get injured at some point in the season, and an experienced Tannehill work wonders with the Titans’ offense under center.
Granted that Mariota doesn’t enter a sudden decline in 2019, this is likely the only way Tannehill ever gets a shot at the starting spot in Tennessee.
2. Tannehill joins the ranks of failed past Titans quarterbacks, and parts ways.
Tannehill is projected to be a major upgrade from former Titans backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
While Gabbert didn’t leave the bar set very high for a newly acquired Tannehill, there’s always the possibility Tannehill ends up struggling in the Titans’ offense and fails to impress in Mariota’s relief.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gabbert was the only quarterback in the league to have 100 or more dropbacks and post a lower overall grade than Tannehill.
While one can’t invest too much stock into a simple statistic like this, Titans fans have to hope it doesn’t serve as any sort of foreshadowing in hindsight.
3. Tannehill remains a consistent, serviceable backup for the entirety of his Titans career.
There’s two opposite ends of the spectrum in regards to which direction Tannehill’s career with the Titans could go in.
But what about the middle ground?
There’s just as much of a possibility that Tannehill will sit quietly in the background, proving competent enough when called upon to enter a game, but never surpassing Mariota on the depth chart.
This outcome is likely what general manager Jon Robinson and the Titans are hoping to get out of Tannehill — an insurance policy at the right price.
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