Breaking: Ravens 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 three teams that 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 serviceable backups but could fall short when it comes to leading a playoff run. Tannehill should at least be considered by his former AFC South rival, if only for his playoff experience.

If nothing else, it would be just one more brain for Stroud to pick as he progresses.

Buffalo Bills

On the other end of the Diggs swap, the Buffalo Bills will be working on the kinks with a revamped pass-catching unit. They’re still expected to contend in the AFC, as they have in nearly every year of Josh Allen’s time 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 provide the Bills with a strong backup plan in case Allen goes down. Tannehill’s deepest playoff run, like the Bills’, ended with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Maybe this combination can help them defeat 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.