Broncos named best landing spot for ex-Titans QB Ryan Tannehill

The Tennessee Titans have officially entered the Will Levis era, meaning that quarterback Ryan Tannehill will be moving on to a different team in 2024.

Tannehill was traded to the Titans in March 2019 and the original plan was to be the backup to Marcus Mariota. However, in Week 6 of that season, the former Texas A&M standout took over in the second half.

And the rest, as they say, is history — Tannehill guided the Titans to the AFC Championship Game and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

In five years with Tennessee, Tannehill had his ups and downs but experienced a career rejuvenation overall, highlighted by his 2020 season that saw him throw for 3,819 yards and a 33-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

At this point in his career, the 36-year-old can still play in the National Football League. Any team needing a bridge quarterback while allowing a young player to develop and learn behind a veteran could (and should) openly welcome Tannehill to their locker room.

As such, Pro Football Focus‘ Brad Spielberger pegged the Denver Broncos, a team that could be in that exact situation, as the best landing spot for Tannehill. 

Tannehill will be 36 years old in 2024, coming off a $27 million salary on the final year of his extension signed in 2020, but he could still be a bridge starter to a young quarterback, much like he was this past season with the Tennessee Titans and Will Levis. Tannehill is a good athlete who wins off play action and with solid intermediate accuracy on rollouts. His pressure-to-sack rate has been too high for a few years now, but in his defense, he was operating behind a very porous offensive line with a pass-catching corps that did not create quick separation.

With Denver moving on from Russell Wilson this offseason, the Broncos’ quarterbacks on the roster going into the 2024 NFL draft are Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. 

With that room, Denver feels like a surefire bet to take a quarterback at some point, whether that be with the No. 12 overall pick or in the later rounds (the Broncos don’t have a second-round pick).

However, the Broncos may have to move up from No. 12 for some of the best quarterbacks in the draft, which isn’t guaranteed. If that fails, they could pounce on the second wave of signal-callers, a group that features player that may need more time to develop. 

Players like that could stand to watch how a veteran like Tannehill handles himself and the locker room while learning under his tutelage. 

Besides, who wouldn’t want to see Tanne-wheels at a mile high?