If there’s been one common thread for the Tennessee Titans during the Ryan Tannehill era, it has been the inability of the offensive line to adequately protect its quarterback.
The Titans were tied for the sixth-fewest sacks allowed in the NFL in 2020, but Tennessee’s group upfront ranked third (2019), seventh (2021) and tied for fifth (2022) in sacks allowed in the other three years with Tannehill.
Since 2020, which was Tannehill’s first full season as a starter (he started 10 games in 2019), he has been one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL, with opposing defenses bringing him down a total of 104 times, the eighth-most in the NFL in that span.
Most sacked QBs since 2020
Russell Wilson – 135
Joe Burrow – 124
Matt Ryan – 119
Kirk Cousins – 113
Daniel Jones – 111
Carson Wentz – 108
Baker Mayfield – 105
Ryan Tannehill – 104
Justin Herbert – 101
Matthew Stafford – 97— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) March 26, 2023
It was actually impressive he didn’t miss a single game from 2019 — when he became the starter — through 2021 after all the hits he has taken. If there’s one thing we cannot question about Tannehill, it’s his toughness.
Unfortunately, Tannehill’s good fortune with avoiding injury ended in 2022 after he suffered a high-ankle sprain that knocked him out of five games and ended his season early.
Of course, not all sacks are on the offensive line, but there’s no doubt the group upfront takes the vast majority of the blame for the punishment inflicted upon Tannehill for the majority of the last four years.
It also didn’t help that Tannehill has dealt with lackluster receiving groups the that have failed to stay healthy and get open on a consistent basis, forcing Tannehill to hold on to the ball for longer.
Tennessee is currently in the midst of a complete overhaul of the offensive line, which is very welcomed after what we’ve seen the past few years.
The Titans are expected to field at least three new starters at left tackle, left guard and right guard. I also don’t think Nicholas Petit-Frere is completely safe at right tackle, and Aaron Brewer, who is projected to be the center, hasn’t been locked down yet because of his restricted free agent status.
As for Tannehill, we continue to wait for confirmation on if he will or won’t be the starter in 2023. We may not have full clarity on that until after the draft, when the Titans either do or don’t take their next franchise quarterback.
