2019 is certainly an important year for the Tennessee Titans at the quarterback position.
Starting quarterback Marcus Mariota has a lot to prove as he enters the fifth and final year of his rookie deal.
But he’s still got the full season to make that known — and quarterback Ryan Tannehill won’t be upgraded to starter before Mariota gets a fair chance.
The Titans have made it clear throughout this offseason that the starting gig is Mariota’s to lose, yet some have still speculated that Tannehill could soon assume the position.
This simply isn’t the case, just as Titans head coach Mike Vrabel recently reiterated once again.
“[Tannehill’s] job as a backup — everybody’s job as a backup — is to push the guy in front of him,” Vrabel said, according to UPI.com. “To compete and try to make yourself better and try to make the team better and see how everybody responds.”
Tannehill essentially serves as an overqualified backup who is a significant insurance policy upgrade over former Titans signal-caller Blaine Gabbert.
This year will be his first as a backup, with injury serving as the only reason for him being on the bench in recent times.
Tannehill completed 1,829-of-2,911 passes for 20,434 yards with 123 touchdowns and 75 interceptions.
