Before he became a quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, Ryan Tannehill was a former No. 8 overall pick and franchise signal-caller for the Miami Dolphins. However, things ultimately didn’t work out for several reasons.
Tannehill, who did help the Dolphins make the playoffs in 2016, was up and down and dealt with injury issues, but the Dolphins didn’t exactly do a great job putting pieces around him, and he had to overcome Adam Gase for half of his tenure.
After six seasons, the Dolphins pulled the plug on Tannehill, leading to Miami trading him to Tennessee in 2019.
The deal is one of the more memorable ones in Titans history. Tennessee sent a 2019 seventh-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick to Miami in exchange for Tannehill and a 2019 sixth-round pick.
It’s safe to say the Titans won that deal, as Tannehill has been a revelation in his two-plus seasons in Nashville, and that sixth-round pick became starting linebacker David Long.
Since 2019, Tannehill has helped elevate an offense that looked dead prior to his becoming the starter, and the Titans have made a pair of playoff appearances, including a run to the AFC Championship Game.
Tannehill also notched his first-career Pro Bowl appearance and AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2019. He followed that up with another stellar season in 2020.
The 2021 campaign has been by far Tannehill’s worst in the two-tone blue. He has struggled, particularly with interceptions, but it’s important to note Tennessee’s offensive line has been bad in pass protection, and the veteran has been missing key weapons in the passing game for much of the season.
In that same span, the Dolphins are 22-24 and have one winning season, but they haven’t made the postseason. Miami, who still has to play on “Monday Night Football,” currently sits at 7-7 and on the outside looking in for the 2021 playoffs.
Under center in South Beach is Tua Tagovailoa, who was drafted in 2020 to be the Dolphins’ next franchise quarterback. Tua has struggled overall and his future is very much up in the air, although the former No. 5 overall pick has played better in the second half of this season.
When the Titans and Dolphins meet in Week 17, it will be the first time Tannehill faces his former mates since the aforementioned trade. He would never tell us as much, but this one likely has a little extra juice for him.
Adding to that, a win for the Titans clinches the AFC South for them (as does a loss by the Indianapolis Colts) and potentially puts them in the No. 1 seed if the Kansas City Chiefs lose, and Tannehill can help bury the Dolphins in the AFC playoff picture by knocking them off.
If revenge against his former team is indeed in the back of Tannehill’s mind, he can get it, and then some, in Week 17.
