With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa lacking depth, the Miami Dolphins may choose to sign former starting Ryan Tannehill in free agency.
Tannehill was mentioned by Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports as a potential backup quarterback. Tannehill, a 2012 No. 8 draft choice, was a member of the Dolphins from 2012 until 2018, and he has now played four seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
“Tannehill’s days as a regular starter are over after two injury-plagued seasons to close his Tennessee Titans career,” Benjamin wrote. “However, the 35-year-old has a wealth of experience [151 starts], while Mike White and Skylar Thompson, who have combined to go 3-6 in emergency starts during their careers, are the Miami Dolphins’ current insurance plan behind Tua Tagovailoa. Tannehill is familiar with Miami, and Mike McDaniel’s scheme works well with his script-dependent style.
The Dolphins won’t have to pay Tannehill as much as they would have if he had signed a four-year, $118 million contract with the Titans that ended after the season. Although the Dolphins only have $1.89 million in salary cap space, Spotrac predicts him to make $7.7 million a year.
That being said, Tannehill’s availability approaching June may prevent him from reaching $7.7 million. Furthermore, since the Dolphins will only have three quarterbacks on the roster, White’s release would save about $3.5 million in cap space.
Tannehill, a 2019 Pro Bowler, has had some excellent plays thus far in his career. Throughout his career, he has kept a completion percentage of 64.3%. As a starter, he has an 81-70 record, and in the playoffs, he has a 2-3 record.
Tannehill also demonstrated in the 2020 season, when he threw for 3,819 yards and 33 touchdowns, that he can succeed when surrounded by elite talent. A.J. Brown, Corey Davis, and tight end Jonnu Smith were among the Titans’ wide receivers who were adept at catching passes.
Tannehill will have wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Odell Beckham Jr. catch passes in Miami in addition to Smith, who will be back together. Even though Tannehill had a poor season in 2023 with eight starts, the Titans’ 6-11 record was due to a lack of offensive talent in comparison to the Dolphins.
In plainer terms, the Dolphins have a strong offensive unit. Benjamin noted, “They’re not exactly designed to require a transcendent talent under center.” “They should actually be competitive if they can only establish consistent competency in that position. Those fundamental needs would be met by a Tannehill reunion, at the very least for the backup position.
Tannehill missed five games due to an ankle sprain in 2023, which occurred on the same ankle he injured in 2022. Tannehill has a 9-11 record in the last two seasons while passing for 4,152 yards and 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.
At this time, no one would genuinely believe that Tannehill poses a threat to Tagovailoa’s employment security. Benjamin added, “And who says a starting quarterback can’t find love again in a different capacity.”
Tannehill might take on a role similar to that of a recent Super Bowl victor.
“Though Nick Foles might be an NFL oddity, bear in mind that his historic run to the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles occurred years after the team that selected and initially started him, the Eagles, traded him away and only later accepted him back as the backup quarterback behind a new, more gifted franchise quarterback in Carson Wentz,” Benjamin wrote.
Benjamin said, “That reunion may have seemed like an odd repetition at the time, but it turned out fairly well in the end.”
Leave a Reply