Tannehill to IR

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.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there’s “no indication that the Titans plan to move on from [Ryan] Tannehill this offseason.” Tannehill is scheduled to make a non-guaranteed $27 million in a contract year. Graziano adds that he wouldn’t be “surprised” to see Tannehill’s name come up in trade talks — if the Titans start poorly. Rookie QB Will Levis is off the redraft radar, but there remains a real chance he takes snaps in 2023.

When asked who the team's starting QB will be in 2023 on Tuesday, Titans HC Mike Vrabel gave an answer that raises some eyebrows. Vrabel said, "of course," he wants Ryan Tannehill to be atop the depth chart. But he says he doesn't want to make predictions, adding that he'd "been through this last year," alluding to the trade that sent WR A.J. Brown to the Eagles from last year. "I am not going to commit to anybody being on our roster in September. I've seen it change too quickly." The 35-year-old Tannehill only has one year remaining on his contract, and the Titans' offense that ranked 21st in Football Outsiders' total offensive DVOA in 2022 is clearly in transition. QB Malik Willis' rookie season didn't look particularly great in limited action last season either, so the need at the position is glaring for the Titans. Maybe there's nothing to see here, but keeping tabs on whispers coming out of Nashville may prove wise.

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.

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.