The Cleveland Browns added one quarterback this week, but Taylor Lewan thinks they should add another.
The former Tennessee Titans offensive tackle said Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill should ask for his release so he can join the Browns this season. Tannehill missed three games this season with an ankle injury and lost his starting job to rookie Will Levis in the process.
“The Browns would be the best spot for him,” Lewan said on FanDuel’s Up & Adams show. “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.”
This is very similar to what former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski recently said about New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. However, both Jones and Tannehill are currently under contract and their respective teams are under no obligation to release either of them. Another issue: Both Jones and Tannehill would be subject to the waiver wire if they were released, and therefore could be claimed (along with their contract) by another team not named the Browns.
There’s also no indication the Browns would even be interested in bringing in another veteran quarterback. Head coach Kevin Stefanski named fifth-round rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson the team’s starting quarterback for the second consecutive week and said that recently-signed Joe Flacco would serve as a mentor for the quarterback room while Deshaun Watson recovers from shoulder surgery in Los Angeles.
Tannehill, though, would be an immediate upgrade over Thompson-Robinson, Flacco or P.J. Walker if this idea came to fruition. Although he’s been unable to stay healthy and turned 35 this season, Tannehill has completed at least 62 percent of his passes in every season since 2016. He’s had a very down season in 2023 with just two passing touchdowns to six interceptions and a career-low 188.0 passing yards per game.
The Browns got a glimpse of Tannehill this season already – and it wasn’t pretty. The defense held him and the Titans offense to just three points and a season-low 94 total yards. Tannehill also completed just 13-of-25 passes for 104 yards, zero touchdowns and he took five sacks.
Again, this is not a realistic option for Cleveland. It would take a myriad of things to align perfectly for Tannehill to don a Browns jersey. For now, it’s DTR or bust with the possibility of Flacco or Walker.
