Ryan Tannehill, a former first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins, can be helpful to the Chicago Bears as they prepare to select a quarterback who will attempt to lead their team for the foreseeab
le future. There aren’t many better options available to them as an emergency backup and someone to teach their young quarterback how to flourish in the LNF, even though Tannehill is well past his prime and has dealt with injuries.
According to Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, the Bears are among the top options for the former quarterback of the Dolphins.
“In 2024, the Chicago Bears will almost definitely select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with their first overall pick. However, Williams has very little prior experience in the Windy City. Williams may benefit from Tannehill’s eleven-year professional experience as he gets to know the NFL.
In the quarterback room, having an experienced player will only benefit Caleb Williams, whom the Bears are anticipated to select.
A guy of Tannehill’s caliber may be useful to the Miami Dolphins as a backup to Tua Tagovailoa, but considering how things ended in Miami, that seems unlikely. After dealing with Adam Gase and tearing his ACL, Tannehill was ultimately unable to bring the Dolphins across the finish line.
Although the Dolphins haven’t fully recovered from that setback, Tagovailoa’s two seasons have resulted in a postseason participation and a far more promising future than Tannehill’s.
But none of those difficulties were caused by Tannehill. The Dolphins should be acknowledged for their several other issues.
Over five years later, Tannehill is still a top-tier quarterback when healthy despite dealing with ailments once more. Tannehill is the finest available QB free agent still on the market.
As for the other players on the board, Davenport feels the same way.
“Ryan Tannehill has started more than 150 NFL games with the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins. In 2024 he guided the Titans to the AFC Championship Game. The 35-year-old is still searching for a new residence, though, nearly three weeks into his free agency.
It makes sense in certain ways. Tannehill’s 2024 season was a complete disaster due to injuries; he only managed to throw for 1,600 yards, three interceptions compared to touchdown passes, and a passer rating of under 80. However, Tannehill is arguably the finest veteran option available as the quarterback carousel of this year winds down—and there are still teams with questionable situations behind center in 2024.
Tannehill has at least demonstrated his ability to contribute and produce when healthy. Things have already gone awry if the Chicago Bears are forced to play Tannehill at any point during the upcoming season in the unlikely event that he joins the squad.
His worth to the Bears would be more in the locker room than on the field.
Sometimes that’s even more important than being a skilled player on the field, particularly in the case of a rookie quarterback who is supposed to be the franchise’s face.
In the past, the Bears and Miami Dolphins have witnessed firsthand how difficult it is to select a quarterback in the draft, regardless of how highly regarded the prospect is. The Bears cannot make the error of selecting a draft pick without first selecting a veteran to assist with the transition to the NFL.
