New Titans GM wants time to evaluate Tannehill

01/20/2023

Covered Eagles for USA Today
Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times
Played college football at Cheyney University

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon will start his new job with quite a few challenges as he takes over a roster desperately needing improvement after a 7-10 season that included a seven-game losing streak.

During his introductory news conference Friday, Carthon was asked to assess the Titans’ quarterback situation, specifically Ryan Tannehill.

“I don’t think that’s fair at this point,” Carthon said. “We’re still evaluating the roster. Ryan has been great here. He’s won a lot of football games. I look forward to us winning football games. But I still need more time to evaluate and make those decisions.”

Tannehill will be 35 when training camp opens in July, but he feels he still has “plenty of good football” left.

The 11-year veteran completed 212 of 325 passes for 2,536 yards with 13 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions this season. The Titans finished 1-4 in games that Tannehill didn’t play.

Tennessee has $4.4 million in cap space, according to Roster Management. That number could improve with restructured contracts or veteran cuts before free agency begins. Tannehill’s contract carries a cap hit of $36.6 million. By cutting him, the Titans could save close to $18 million in cap space.

Coach Mike Vrabel, however, has endorsed Tannehill as his quarterback, and he somewhat doubled down on it during his season-ending news conference less than two weeks ago.

“He is our starting quarterback,” Vrabel said. “If he is healthy, he is our starting quarterback.”

Carthon was brought in because his clear vision for the Titans stood out, as did his natural leadership and ability to collaborate, which was stressed by owner Amy Adams Strunk when the GM search began.

The ramifications that a decision regarding Tannehill carry will require both Carthon and Vrabel to be aligned in their vision for the roster.

“This is a quarterback-driven league,” Carthon said. “People are hired and fired every day over that position. I want to spend more time evaluating that position so I will have my own opinion. Then, Mike and I will confer and we’ll figure it out.”

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