With quarterback Marcus Mariota in the final year of his rookie contract and given that the Titans have yet to decide to make a long-term commitment to the second overall pick in the 2015 overall draft, the Titans need to be thinking about the future of the position.
Maybe the future is closer to now than believed.
Ryan Tannehill has arrived, and the Titans have embraced him as No. 2 on the depth chart.
“He understands that he’s coming in as the backup quarterback,” G.M. Jon Robinson told reporters on Friday regarding Tannehill. “I’ve talked to Marcus and told Marcus he is our starting quarterback. Ryan is here to help Marcus, to push Marcus, to compete with Marcus. One thing after talking with Marcus, he said, ‘You know, one thing Jon that I believe with all my heart is that you to do what’s best for our team and try to put us in position to win football games.’ That made me feel pretty good.”
Having Tannehill around also makes Robinson feel good, in the event that Mariota gets injured or otherwise struggles. Tannehill hasn’t been horrible, he just hasn’t been healthy. And if Mariota isn’t healthy for a game or two this year, Tannehill will have a better chance to push the team to a win than Blaine Gabbert.