Tannehill "very likely" done for the season

Titans insider Paul Kuharsky hears that QB Ryan Tannehill is "very likely" done for the season with an ankle injury that may require surgery. Tannehill has hurt this right ankle twice this season -- but was surprisingly allowed to re-enter last week's loss to the Chargers. His absence leaves QB Malik Willis at the controls the rest of the way. The rookie made 2 starts the first time Tannehill went down, TOTALING 135 passing yards on 26 attempts. Tennessee will go as run-heavy as possible with Willis, tanking the fantasy value of pass catchers like TE Chig Okonkwo and WR Treylon Burks.

Here's what new Titans GM Ran Carthon said when asked about QB Ryan Tannehill on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine: "Ryan is under contract. Right now he's a Titan, and he will be a Titan." The sound bite didn't come across as a true commitment to Tannehill remaining at the Tennessee helm. But it's tough to see a path to the Titans improving at QB. Tannehill's contract would also leave nearly $19 million in dead cap space if Tennessee dumped him, according to Spotrac. So treat Tannehill as the 2023 Titans starter in early best-ball drafting. We'll see whether anything changes.

The Titans have hired Ran Carthon as their GM. Carthon has been the 49ers' director of player personnel the past 6 years and held the same role with the Rams the previous 5 years. At the top of his to-do list this offseason will be figuring out what to do at QB, where 34-year-old Ryan Tannehill carries a $36.6 million 2023 cap hit and Malik Willis is coming off an ugly rookie campaign.

The Titans placed QB Ryan Tannehill (ankle) on IR on Thursday. That makes the AFC Championship his earliest possible return this season. We'll see if the Titans roll with QB Malik Willis or QB Joshua Dobbs in next Sunday's must-win game vs. the Jaguars.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had tightrope surgery this week in Alabama to treat his high right ankle sprain. The "best-case scenario" for Tannehill's situation is a 3-week return, which would give him a shot to play in Week 18. We wouldn't bet on him for fantasy football lineups in leagues that play through the final week of the regular season.

Per insider Tom Pelissero, Titans QB Ryan Tannehill’s status is “in doubt” for Week 16. Tannehill played through another right ankle injury for parts of Sunday’s game against the Chargers, but it sounds like there’s a real chance he’ll miss Saturday’s matchup with Houston. If so, that’ll put QB Malik Willis back in the lineup vs. the same team he made his debut against in Week 8. The rookie is an easy avoid in season-long formats.