Sky’s the limit as QB Tannehill revives career
There are no official NFL statistics ranking dramatic career renaissances.
If that category actually existed, though, Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill would stand atop or be high on the list.
The Miami Dolphins gave up on the former Texas A&M standout after seven years, trading him in March along with a sixth-round pick for fourth-round and seventh-round selections.
Signed to a one-year, $7 million contract after the trade that included an addition $5 million in incentives, Tannehill’s surprising excellence has reversed the Titans’ season.
Since the Titans benched former first-round draft pick Marcus Mariota and inserted Tannehill as
their starting quarterback, they’ve gone 6-1 after a 2-4 start.
Tannehill is playing the best football of his career, leading the Titans into a tie for first place in the AFC South with the Texans heading into a showdown Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
“Look, I think he’s just playing really well,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a very accurate passer, very calm, good poise and he’s very athletic. He can run. He’s got really good speed, he can escape. He’s doing a lot of things well.
“He’s always been a very accurate passer, and he’s very athletic. He’s doing a really good job. He’s an excellent player. He was a firstround draft pick. This guy is a really good player, so it’s a big challenge.”
Tannehill piled up 391 passing yards and three touchdown passes with one interception last Sunday, engineering a 42-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders. That
was the second-highest passing yardage total of his career.
The way that Tannehill has energized the Titans’ dormant offense has been incredible.
The Titans are averaging 31.4 points per game under Tannehill. They’re leading the NFL with 14.4 passing yards per attempt on playaction plays.
He has passed for 1,993 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions and an NFL-best 118.5 passer rating in just nine games and seven starts. He has also run for three touchdowns.
Tannehill has delivered pinpoint spirals to young wide receivers A.J. Brown and Corey Davis. He has executed crisp play-action fakes to powerful running back Derrick Henry. And he has endured being sacked 24 times, displaying toughness and elusiveness when needed since taking over for a brittle Mariota.
As soon as the Titans benched Mariota, Tannehill kick-started the offense. He completed 13 of 16 passes for 144 yards in the second half of a loss to the Denver Broncos.
Being traded to the Titans has jump-started Tannehill’s career.
“I didn’t know how it was going to play out,” Tannehill told Tennessee reporters. “I didn’t know where I was going to end up and ended up here. I was excited about the opportunity. Didn’t know how it was going to go, or if/ when I was going to get an opportunity, but just wanted to make the best of it.”
The following week, Tannehill manufactured a win over the Los Angeles Chargers with 312 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 14 of 18 passes for 259 yards, two touchdown passes and two touchdown runs and 40 yards in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Tannehill has provided a complementary presence working in tandem with Henry, a bullish 6-3, 247-pound power back who ranks second in the NFL with 1,243 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Tannehill passed for 276 yards against the Raiders off of play-action passes, and he has two of the top five games in yards off play-action fakes since the 2016 season, according to Next Gen Stats.
“He’s pretty composed in the pocket,” Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said. “With his accuracy in the passing game, he uses the other weapons around him. They do what they do best, and that’s running the ball. They run the ball and off of that they have the play-action game.
“So, if you can slow the run down, then you’ve got a chance to defend the play action, but if you can’t slow the run down, your chances of defending the play action are not very good.”
Tannehill has completed a career-best 73.4 percent of his throws with a career-high 118.5 passer rating.
With the Dolphins, Tannehill dealt with knee injuries along with some erratic decision-making that curtailed his obvious talent.
Now, he’s thriving with a change of scenery.
“That’s my guy,” said Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, Tannehill’s former Dolphins teammate. “I’m glad he’s balling up there. I’m happy to see his success.” No player in NFL history has posted a passer rating of at least 130.0 for five consecutive games.
Over the past four games, Tannehill has had passer ratings of 140.4 (Raiders), 131.2 (Indianapolis Colts), 155.8 (Jaguars) and 133.9 (Kansas City Chiefs).
Benching Mariota and replacing him with Tannehill is one of the best decisions by an NFL team this season.
“I think Ryan is taking advantage of his opportunities,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said.
Tannehill has played so well that the Titans are contemplating whether to try to sign him to a long-term contract extension or secure his services for 2020 by designating him as their franchise player.
“I’m not a big guy on trying to forecast the future or anything,” Tannehill said. “It’s more of trying to handle what’s right in front of you and be the best you can every single day.”