On Thursday, news reports broke from Miami that indicated the Dolphins were ready to move on from their 2012 first round draft pick, quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
After playing in every game his first four seasons in the league, Tannehill has missed roughly 24 games the last three years, including the entire 2017 season.
Throughout his NFL career, Tannehill has been solid, but not great, having been outplayed by fellow QB draft picks who were all drafted after Tannehill, including Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, and Kirk Cousins, who cashed in this past off-season to the tune of $84 million from the Minnesota Vikings.
Tannehill won’t come close at all to the contract Cousins got, but he will have plenty of suitors should Miami follow through on their desire to move on from Tannehill’s $19 million contract for the 2019 season.
Here are several potential suitors for Tannehill next season-
Jacksonville– The Jags are an obvious choice, especially if they let Blake Bortles go after a disappointing season that saw them bench the former first round pick earlier this season.
New England– This is purely a prospective pick idea, but signing Tannehill to a backup deal to sit behind Tom Brady for perhaps a year, might be a smart move. Brady will be 42-years old in 2019 while Tannehill will turn 31. Unless the Patriots plan to go another season with Brian Hoyer as Brady’s backup, Tannehill could set up nicely.
NY Giants– Here is another obvious choice, given Eli Manning’s decline in play, despite having the likes of Beckham and Barkley at his disposal. Tannehill is younger, mobile, and with those weapons, the Giants could be in play in 2019.
Denver- If the Broncos feel that Case Keenum isn’t their guy going into the 2019 season, then perhaps a change of scene could be in play with Tannehill coming to Denver. He’s younger, more mobile, has a big arm, and inherits a better overall team with the Broncos.
Washington- This one is always a chance, especially when you consider the injury to Alex Smith. I hope he plays again, but if there’s a delay in his recovery, or should he chose to walk away, then the Redskins need a QB in 2019. Why not Tannehill? Head Coach Jay Gruden had success with fellow 2012 draft pick Kirk Cousins, why wouldn’t he succeed with Tannehill?
The other option for Tannehill is to wind up as a backup on a team like Houston, Pittsburgh, or Carolina. Teams that already have established passers, and teams that are always contending for the playoffs, but are wary of injuries to their starters. You don’t want to end up like Oakland did several years ago with Connor Cook in the Wild Card playoff game.
The options will be a plenty for Ryan Tannehill in 2019, however if you believe the reports out of Miami, the Dolphins aren’t one of them. And that’s kind of a shame, he’s a decent QB who just never had a full set of options on offense.
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