Analyst Suggests Lions Pursue Aging Former Pro Bowl QB This Offseason

The Detroit Lions have a quarterback room that is seemingly on the rise in the future, and Jared Goff is playing some great football in 2022.

Still, that doesn’t stop some people from suggesting the Lions move on from Goff. Most of the time, the suggestion for a replacement involves a rookie. One analyst, though, took it to the next level in suggesting veteran Ryan Tannehill

Steven Ruiz of The Ringer tweeted his take on the Detroit quarterback situation, and as he said, he thinks the Lions should dump Goff in favor of the 34 year old Tannehill, whom he sees as a perfect “bridge quarterback” for the team.

“Detroit should pursue Ryan Tannehill in the offseason if possible. Think he’d be a perfect bridge QB for this offense,” Ruiz tweeted.

Many in the comments then pointed out that the Lions could have a younger and better bridge quarterback in Goff, if not a guy that the staff is fully committed to as well as believes in for the future.

Ruiz, though, didn’t completely agree with that assessment, and doubled down on his notion that Tannehill is a better fit for the Detroit offense given his ability to push the ball further down field.

“Because he’s better than Goff and would elevate the offense in ways that other bridge QBs wouldn’t because of the way he plays. This offense takes another step with a QB who stands in there and delivers strong passes downfield. Goff is a good fit, but Tannehill is a better one,” Ruiz tweeted.

While he might believe that to be the case, the Lions might not want to move on from Goff at all, making this opinion a moot point. General manager Brad Holmes stuck with Goff after a tough 2021 season, so it’s hard to see him asking him to pack his things after a much better 2022 year.

Nevertheless, add Ruiz to the list of folks that think the Lions need to ditch Goff. In this instance, Tannehill is suggested as the perfect replacement thanks to what he can do at the position.

Tannehill’s Stats & Highlights

Obviously, Tannehill is not a bad NFL quarterback. He is starting to age at 34, and was a former first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2012. Tannehill would know Lions head coach Dan Campbell from that stop.

In Miami, Tannehill was inconsistent at best, with his top season coming in 2014 when he threw for 4,045 yards and 27 touchdowns. He came into his own after a trade to the Tennessee Titans before the 2019 season, and claimed NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors that season for his work, and also was named to the 2019 Pro Bowl.

During his career, Tannehill has thrown for 33,265 yards as well as 212 touchdowns. His best season in the league came in 2020 when he threw 33 touchdowns to just seven interceptions while throwing for 3,819 yards.

Tannehill is a solid veteran quarterback, but at this point for the Lions, he could be a downgrade from Goff due simply to his age.

Goff’s Solid 2022 Impressive

In terms of what Goff has done this season, the Lions have not had reason to be disappointed with their quarterback statistically and otherwise, which is a big reason they might not want to move on.

Through Week 16, Goff has put up a very solid 26 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Goff has thrown for a good 3,959 yards and has been a quality game manager for the Lions. He’s avoided the big mistakes for the most part this year, and been a player who has looked very comfortable within the team’s offense.

Detroit could keep Goff given what he has been able to do in leading a resurgent Lions offense most of the year. He’s had some inconsistent games, but that applies to nearly any quarterback in the game.

Nothing Goff is doing in 2022 is helping to make it obvious that he should lose the job in the future, even as folks on the outside continue to howl for it to happen.

In this instance, the suggestion for Tannehill is a good example of something which is probably very farfetched.