In a recent article that took the opinions of 50 unnamed NFL executives and coaches and ranked starting quarterbacks around the league, Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill did not come out of it well.
Not only was Tannehill ranked No. 23 and placed in tier 3 in the annual list compiled by Mike Sando of The Athletic, he also took some bullets from those polled.
“Tannehill is at a pivotal point where his replacements are already on the roster, and in order for him to be the starter in Tennessee a year from now, the level of play would have to be so high that meeting those expectations seems almost unfair,” said one voter. “Ryan is a solid starter who has to be managed to prevent the big errors, but is often the byproduct of success at skill positions and defense. A Tannehill-led team can’t win a Super Bowl.
“His limited mobility has made him more vulnerable to hits, and his career is turning into the Ryan Fitzpatrick discussion where he’s holding on to a position with younger and experimental pieces around him.”
In regard to the “a Tannehill-led team can’t win a Super Bowl,” there have been far worse quarterbacks than him to win one.
Unfortunately, even with that being the case, it’s still hard to argue against the statement given the struggles we’ve seen from him in the playoffs during his career in Tennessee, with the debacle against the Cincinnati Bengals still fresh in our memory.
And, as a result of those struggles, the Titans are looking ahead to the future at the position after drafting two quarterbacks the past two years. I’d agree with the idea that Tannehill must do a lot if he wants to keep his job past 2023 — and by a lot, I mean a Super Bowl run.
However, to the smaller point, Tannehill can hardly be classified as someone who has “limited mobility.” In fact, he’s at least above-average in that area, and his toughness as a runner is one of his most admirable traits.
There’s no denying the spark Tannehill has given this team since taking over a listless squad in 2019, and that will always be appreciated after his days in Nashville are done.
But there’s also no getting past the fact he’s been unable to get the Titans to the promised land, something he’ll likely have just one more chance to do.
