Deadlines spur action, and the trade deadline in the National Football League is just about upon us. We can safely assume that at least another player or two will be changing teams before all is said and done. I don’t anticipate that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be making any splashy moves.
Their upcoming opponent has already done so, however, trading S Kevin Byard for draft compensation, along with former Steelers S Terrell Edmunds. Given rookie QB Will Levis’ performance on Sunday, another move they could consider is trading QB Ryan Tannehill, with Malik Willis already on the roster as well.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t go so far as to say that they were shopping Tannehill, who has been their starter since 2019, but he clearly left the door open—as does the fact that they have drafted quarterbacks in consecutive years.
“If (general manager Ran Carthon) tells me that somebody called we’ll talk about whoever player they called about and what they would offer and make a decision”, he told reporters yesterday, via Nick Suss of The Tennessean. “I think we owe it to the team to listen as diligently as possible on anybody that would call. Regardless of player, person or position. Just to make sure that we’re doing right by the football team”.
The second half of that answer was preceded by repeating the question he’d been asked about if Levis’ performance in his NFL debut impacted their thought process on Tannehill’s market availability. The rookie quarterback threw four touchdowns, an extremely rare feat in an NFL debut.
Whenever trades are being discussed, there has to be both a supply and a demand. But there is always demand for quarterbacks, even for temporary solutions. There are several teams that could be looking for something just a bit better than what they have due to injury.
That includes the Cleveland Browns, with Deshaun Watson’s status seemingly a mystery. P.J. Walker is obviously not the answer. Other teams that could be looking include the Minnesota Vikings, who just lost Kirk Cousins for the remainder of the season, and perhaps the New York Jets awaiting the return of Aaron Rodgers, though they may be content with Zach Wilson.
Tannehill started six games this season, the Titans going 2-4 in those contests. He went 98-for-158 passing for 1,128 yards with just two touchdowns to six interceptions and the worst success rate on his passes in his entire 14-year career.
A former first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins, he resurrected his career in Tennessee. His best season came in 2020, throwing for 3,819 yards with 33 touchdown passes to seven interceptions and an 11-5 record as a starter.
But the team never stopped looking for answers at quarterback, and they drafted up to the 33rd-overall draft slot earlier this year in order to get Levis. While he opened his rookie season as the third-string quarterback, it could be time for him to take over the starting role from this point forward.
