Breaking: Bills closing in on deal to sign former $27.5 million free agent Pro Bowler
As each NFL season’s free agency period begins, it appears like there are innumerable huge names available. The majority of them find new homes or return to old teams, while a few fall into the pit of unsigned talent.
This frequently happens to a few players who were regarded as essential members of a club a year ago. Not only did they play their job, but they also had to wait and hope that a team would take a chance with them.
This is Ryan Tannehill’s current reality as a former Tennessee Titans quarterback. The former Pro Bowler lost his starting place to rookie Will Levis last year and is now a free agent, months after the signing window opened.
Tannehill, 35, certainly isn’t what he once was, but he’s no slouch. He has priceless experience that could be useful for certain contenders in case of emergency.
Here are teams that should consider adding him.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans added four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs to their receiving corps, following rookie C.J. Stroud’s impressive year. They’re primed to compete for the AFC South title and even make a run at the Super Bowl.
With so much optimism surrounding Stroud as the franchise quarterback, it’s difficult to fathom the team without him. The difficulty is that injuries are a reality for all teams. If Stroud went down, Davis Mills or Case Keenum would be ready to take over.
Both Mills and Keenum are capable backups, but they may struggle to lead a postseason run. Tannehill should be considered by his former AFC South foe, even if just for his playoff experience.
If nothing else, it would be just one more brain for Stroud to pick as he progresses.
Buffalo Bills
Following the Diggs trade, the Buffalo Bills will focus on improving their pass-catching corps. They are still expected to compete in the AFC, as they have in practically every year of Josh Allen’s tenure there.
If Allen goes down, the Bills will turn to a familiar face in Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky returned to Buffalo this offseason after spending two years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s had some impressive moments but isn’t the best backup choice.
Signing Tannehill would give the Bills a reliable contingency plan should Allen go down. Just like how the Bills have fallen to the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs year after year, Tannehill’s deepest playoff run also concluded at the hands of the Chiefs.
Maybe this combination can help them take down a common enemy.
Baltimore Ravens
Continuing the subject of AFC teams that have yet to advance past Kansas City, we have the Baltimore Ravens. Adding a quarterback may be the last thing on the thoughts of fans in Baltimore following Lamar Jackson’s MVP season, which propelled the Ravens to the conference’s top seed.
Jackson’s mobility play style has produced impressive results, but it also puts him in danger. After Tyler Huntley signed with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore’s backup quarterback is now veteran Josh Johnson.
Johnson, 38, has proven on multiple occasions that he’s capable of stepping in and leading a team. That’s far from ideal, though, especially given how his age pairs with the Ravens’ offensive scheme. Tannehill would be a reliable option if Jackson had to miss time.
