As the Chicago Bears get ready to draft a quarterback who will lead their franchise for the foreseeable future, former Miami Dolphins first-round pick Ryan Tannehill could provide veteran leadership, according to Bleacher Report.
“The Chicago Bears have the first overall pick in 2024 — a pick that will all but certainly be used on USC quarterback Caleb Williams,” Gary Davenport wrote in a March 24 story on the best fits for the top unsigned free agents. “But there is precious little experience behind Williams in the Windy City. Tannehill’s experience over 11 pro seasons could come in handy as Williams learns the NFL ropes.”
Tannehill, who will be 36 when the 2024 season starts, has two 4,000-yard seasons in his career (2014 and 2015) and was the Associated Press’ Comeback Player of the Year in 2019. Davenport wrote that Tannehill also could fit in as a veteran presence with the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.
How Ryan Tannehill Could Help the Bears
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell also called Bears a logical landing spot for Tannehill, who played five years with the Tennessee Titans after six seasons with the Dolphins.
“Tannehill’s not going to push likely No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams for the starting job, but a little bit of veteran experience in the quarterback room wouldn’t hurt,” Barnwell wrote in a March 20 story.
However, Tannehill might still have some starter potential left in him, Barnwell wrote.
“The 2022 version of Tannehill averaged 7.8 yards per attempt with Robert Woods as his top wideout, and it’s telling that the Titans fell apart after their starting quarterback went down with another ankle injury,” he wrote. “That version of Tannehill would be overqualified as a backup.”
Even with an injury in 2023 that kept his starts limited to eight, Tannehill had a 64.8% completion percentage, which would’ve ranked him 18th in the league among starters.
Could Tannehill Return to the Dolphins?
The Sporting News’ Bryan Perez, who also viewed the Bears as a good fit for Tannehill, wrote that whoever signs him will have a valuable asset.
“No, Tannehill isn’t headed to Canton, but he’d immediately become one of the NFL’s better backup quarterbacks in 2024,” Perez wrote in a story published March 22. “Perhaps Ryan Tannehill will play the long game and wait to sign with an NFL team that suffers an inevitable injury to their quarterback in training camp.”
The Dolphins could use a player of Tannehill’s caliber to sit behind Tua Tagovailoa, and Miami New Times’ Ryan Yousefi urged the Dolphins to sign him.
“There’s never a dull moment in the Dolphins’ offseason rumor mill,” Yousefi wrote in a March 25 story. “But we’re about to make it even worse with this sentence: The Miami Dolphins should sign Ryan Tannehill. Yes, the same man who tossed for more than 20,000 yards and 123 touchdowns in a Dolphins uniform over 88 games from 2012 to 2018.”
Yousefi suggested Tannehill as a backup, not a replacement for Tagovailoa, in the wake of Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt’s March 26 suggestion that the Dolphins target Michael Penix Jr. in the draft.
“Miami most definitely should draft a quarterback, just not in the first round,” Yousefi wrote. “Their most immediate help would come in the form of a solid backup such as Tannehill, not a rookie who would be nowhere near ready to lead a team built to win now, such as the Dolphins.”
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Bears Viewed as Landing Spot for Former Dolphins 4,000-Yard Quarterback