Getty Quarterback Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans.
The Cleveland Browns added Joe Flacco on November 20 as the best of limited options to fill out the QB room, though scenarios in which the team lands a more viable player remain feasible.
Former Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan made an appearance on the November 20 episode of FanDuel’s “Up & Adams” show, during which he suggested that quarterback Ryan Tannehill ask the team for his release and pursue a new opportunity in Cleveland.
“The Browns would be the best spot for him,” Lewan said. “There’s tools, they got a good run game, they run a similar offense. So, I think that would be a great fit for him.”
Ryan Tannehill May Be Able to Facilitate Exit From Titans
GettyQuarterback Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans.
Tannehill suffered a high ankle sprain earlier this season that ultimately cost him his starting job in Nashville. Rookie Will Levis put up a four-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons on October 29, and Tannehill has been a reserve ever since.
The Titans are 3-7 and in last place in the AFC South. Tannehill is 35 years old and presumably interested in not only playing at some point down the stretch run of this season, but playing in meaningful games.
Tennessee can no longer trade the QB because the NFL’s October 31 deadline for such deals has come and gone. Tannehill is playing in the final season of his four-year, $118 million contract and will be a free agent in March. At this point, the Titans have nothing to gain from playing Tannehill and can no longer acquire an asset for him in trade, meaning the franchise is more likely to be amenable to a request from the QB for his release.
Browns Still Face Major Questions at QB Down Stretch Run
GettyQuarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland arguably makes more sense as a destination for Tannehill than anywhere else around the league. Deshaun Watson underwent successful shoulder surgery on Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the season, though the organization expects he will return healthy in 2024.
Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson took the reins of the Browns offense in Week 11, leading the team to a 13-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thompson-Robinson completed 4-of-4 passes during an eight-play, 48-yard drive that set up a game-winning field goal by kicker Dustin Hopkins.
Aside from that drive, however, Thompson-Robinson looked as inexperienced as one might expect for a QB making just the second start of his NFL career. He finished the game 24-of-43 for 165 yards and an interception. The only other game the rookie started was in Week 4 — a blowout home loss to the Baltimore Ravens, in which he threw 3 interceptions.
PJ Walker usurped Thompson-Robinson following that outing, but struggled to produce despite Cleveland winning two of the three games in which he took the majority of snaps. The Browns demoted Walker and turned back to Thompson-Robinson following news of Watson’s season-ending injury last week.
Flacco is a former Super Bowl MVP, but he’s also 38 years old and hasn’t produced a winning regular-season record since 2017 when the Ravens finished the year 9-7. Flacco spent the last three campaigns as a backup with the New York Jets. He started nine games over that stretch and earned a 1-8 record.
Should Thompson-Robinson struggle further, regress or get injured, there is a good chance Flacco will see real time. If he, too, falls short for whatever reason, the Browns may start looking at alternative options like Tannehill, assuming he can get out of his contract in Tennessee.