Titans coach Vrabel reiterates Ryan Tannehill is backup
When it comes to who’s beginning under centre for the Titans this season, there is no tumult in Tennessee: Marcus Mariota is your newcomer and Ryan Tannehill isn’t.
That is the word out of Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who reiterated that this weekend which Tannehill, whom Tennessee acquired in a transaction from the Miami Dolphins, won’t be competing for starting snaps into training camp.
“His occupation as a backup — everyone’s occupation for a backup — is to push the guy in front of him,” Vrabel said this weekend, per UPI. “To compete and attempt to make yourself and try to make the team better and see how everyone responds.”
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This season will probably be Tannehill’s first as a backup QB. He was on the bench in Miami but because of injury instead of performance reasons. Drafted by Miami eighth overall in the 2012 draft, Tannehill began 77 straight games before being felled with a torn ACL to start his career. The Dolphins, under new leadership, moved on from Tannehill that this offseason, sending him to Tennessee and substituting him with Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The prior Fins newcomer has already said this offseason that transitioning to a backup role was”definitely tough occasionally,” but that he is acclimating well to taking a back seat to Mariota.
“I think there’s a great deal of mutual respect between people,” Tannehill said in late May. “I’m going to attempt to help Marcus as much as I can. I believe Marcus has done exactly the same for me.”
Though Mariota’s starting job is not immediately threatened by Tannehill’s existence, the Titans franchise QB is on a brief leash this year. Mariota is entering the fifth and last year of his rookie deal without an assurance he will find a new contract from the club.
The former second overall pick has dealt with injuries and fought with unsteady play over the previous four seasons, like Tannehill. Mariota sat out the final two matches of this 2018 campaign with a stinger, ceding duties to usher Tennessee into the postseason into Blaine Gabbert. The Titans couldn’t get the job done, dropping their season finale to the rival Indianapolis Colts at home on”Sunday Night Football.”
The trade for Tannehill seemed a response to the pain of the conclusion of last season. Tennessee needed better Mariota insurance, for this year and possibly a Mariota-less year in the near future, and Tannehill had the bona fides.
Tennessee is hoping Tannehill flips a change in Mariota at the latter’s contract year. However, whether the presence of a longtime starting signal-caller supporting a franchise appeared like Mariota will complicate matters at Titans camp remains to be seen.
