5 NFL teams who should sign Ryan Tannehill during training camp

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·Updated: July 27, 2024

After five years as the Tennessee Titans’ starter, now Will Levis is the quarterback on Ryan Tannehill’s former team. Surprisingly, no one has signed the former Pro Bowl quarterback in free agency despite him bringing 151 games of starting experience to the table. While he just turned 36, there are several other older quarterbacks in the NFL than Tannehill, and he’s still plenty capable.

Tannehill wants to play this season, but as he said he could pull a “Joe Flacco” by joining a team mid-season. However, if teams think they’ll need a better backup, they shouldn’t wait until problems arise. Teams should want to get Tannehill integrated into their system right now, where he can begin building chemistry with his teammates. But who even still needs another quarterback?

Here are five teams who should have interest in signing Ryan Tannehill right now.

Miami Dolphins should consider Ryan Tannehill reunion

Selected eighth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, Ryan Tannehill got his career started with the Miami Dolphins. They clearly don’t need a new starting quarterback any time soon after Tua Tagovailoa signed his contract extension, but Mike McDaniel’s team could use a reliable backup.

Tannehill would likely love to wrap up his career back in South Beach with a team that’s a viable Super Bowl contender. He should have no trouble assuming backup duties, competing with Mike White, Skylar Thompson, and undrafted rookie Gavin Hardison.

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson is entrenched as the starter in Baltimore, but the Ravens are seeing how bad life can be without their MVP while he misses valuable time with an illness during training camp. This has put 38-year-old Josh Johnson in a bigger role, but he’s even older than Tannehill, and he doesn’t have nearly the same amount of NFL experience. After Johnson, the Ravens have rookie sixth-round pick Devin Leary and undrafted rookie Emory Jones, so another vet like Tannehill could be just what they need for the long haul.

Ryan Tannehill stats last season: 64.8% comp. rate, 1,616 pass yards, 4 TD, 7 INT (8 starts)

Tannehill may not have had a great season last year, but he would be joining one of his longtime teammates in Baltimore, reuniting with Derrick Henry. If the Ravens need any insight on what type of locker room leader Tannehill is, Henry will be quick to offer advice.

Los Angeles Chargers

A late-season injury to Justin Herbert gave the Los Angeles Chargers a chance to see what they had in 2019 fifth-round pick Easton Stick. He didn’t perform terribly, but he also lost all five games he played in. Aside from a three-touchdown performance in his starting debut, Stick didn’t manage a single score in the rest of his three starts.

The Chargers also have 2023 seventh-round pick Max Duggan, who was a star in college with TCU, but he’s unproven at the NFL level. Otherwise, it’s just undrafted rookie Casey Bauman, but Tannehill could come in and provide plenty of valuable pointers to his younger teammates.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have avoided bringing in any type of legit competition who could push or threaten Caleb Williams’ grasp on the starting quarterback job. We get that. But what about if an injury occurs? Tyson Bagent looked much better than expected last season as an undrafted rookie, but are we sure Chicago would want to place the franchise in his hands if Williams were forced to miss an extended stretch of time?

Ryan Tannehill career stats: 64.3% comp. rate, 34,881 pass yards, 216 TD, 115 INT

Tannehill has been in the NFL for 12 seasons; we’d be much more comfortable turning the keys to Chicago’s offense over to him instead of Bagent, Brett Rypien, or undrafted rookie Austin Reed.

Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love just became the highest-paid QB in NFL history. Now the Packers need to ensure the rest of their team is insulated in case their franchise QB is forced out of action. Green Bay was a playoff team last season, but if Love gets hurt, the offensive burden falls on the shoulders of 2023 fifth-round pick Sean Clifford.

As much as the coaching staff would likely embrace the chance to evaluate Clifford’s ability in his second season, it’s a risky move. After Clifford, the Packers have a fairly decent competition brewing between rookie seventh-round pick and former fourth-round pick Jacob Eason. But again, Tannehill’s veteran experience could help further their development by providing valuable on-field leadership that not even the coaches can provide.