The Tennessee Titans are entering a 2023 offseason full of uncertainty. The team has to hire a new general manager, multiple coaches — including a new offensive coordinator — and make decisions on several players.
One of those players is quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who saw his 2022 season end early due to an ankle injury. The veteran signal-caller provided an update Monday, saying that he’s on the right track and can’t wait to be healthy again.
“Everything is trending the right way, and rehab is going well,” Tannehill said. “I’m really happy with how things are going, it just sucks I had to go through it. Unfortunately, it’s a part of the game — I was able to stay away from it for a long time, but it finally caught up to me. I am looking forward to being healthy again.”
Of course, Tannehill’s wasn’t the only key injury the Titans had to overcome this season in what was the second-straight year Tennessee has been one of, if not the most injured teams in the NFL.
“We battled through a lot as a team, but unfortunately the injuries and not making the plays down the stretch caught up with us,” Tannehill explained. Obviously, a lot is going to change. But I’m proud of the guys and the fight that we showed even though the result didn’t pan out the way we all wanted it to.”
Change will indeed take place, and Tannehill could be part of it.
As good as it all started for Tannehill in Tennessee, things have soured in the last few years with his inability to take the Titans all the way. As a result, the team could choose to move on from him in 2023, albeit at a costly price tag.
Tannehill made no bones about his desire to run it back in Tennessee. No matter what, he believes he still has “some bright years ahead.”
“Of course, I’d love to be back here,” Tannehill said. “We’ll just have to see what happens. I definitely have some good years left. I feel really good, even coming off this injury. I feel really good and looking forward to some bright years ahead.”
When asked about Tannehill’s status, head coach Mike Vrabel was clear in saying that the veteran is the starting quarterback.
Vrabel: I want Ryan Tannehill to get as healthy as he possibly can and be our starting QB. If Ryan was healthy, he would be our starting QB. Said he doesn’t want to talk about hypotheticals.
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) January 9, 2023
However, take that with a grain of salt, as Vrabel wouldn’t openly admit the Titans are moving on from him, and a lot can change between now and the meat of the 2022 offseason.
Tannehill probably has a better than 50/50 chance to stay, but ultimately that will depend on what the cash-strapped Titans can do financially and who is actually out there to replace him with. It’s anyone’s guess how this goes.
