It didn’t take long for the Tennessee Titans to realize they had a glaring problem at quarterback this season.
That was marked by the benching of former starter Marcus Mariota in the third quarter of the team’s Week 6 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Tannehill has performed well up to this point, recording a 4-1 overall record a starter for the Titans and completing 111-of-154 passes for 1,420 yards and 10 touchdowns with four interceptions.
Touchdown Wire’s Pat Yaskinskas believes Tannehill could be the long-term answer for Tennessee at signal-caller.
“It’s fairly obvious that Marcus Mariota won’t be back with the Titans after being benched in Week 6,” he wrote. “When he went to the sideline, the common belief was that backup Ryan Tannehill would be used just to get the team through the season. Think again. Tannehill has made a case that he’s the long-term answer. He’s won four of his five starts, including Sunday’s blowout of Jacksonville, in which he threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more. After flopping in Miami, Tannehill is playing like a franchise quarterback. He can become a free agent after the season, but the Titans can’t afford to let that happen. They’ll sign him to a large contract for the long term.”
It’s true that Tannehill has done a fine job for the Titans, but he’s be inconsistent at other points in his career, so it will be interesting to see if he can stay on a hot streak.
He’ll also have to prove he’s a more viable option than other quarterbacks in a strong 2020 NFL Draft class filled with names like Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love — just to name a handful.
Tannehill and the Titans will face yet another division opponent in the Indianapolis Colts at noon CT on Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium.
