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KEY POINTS
- Ryan Tannehill’s 2022-23 NFL season comes to an abrupt end after being placed on the injured reserve
- Tannehill possibly returning to action depends if the Titans being able to reach the AFC championship game
- The Titans opt to go with Joshua Dobbs over Malik Willis to fill the quarterback void left by Tannehill
The 2022-23 NFL season of veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill appears to be over.
The Tennessee Titans placed the 34-year-old play-caller on the injured reserve along with two others, a development that practically ended his NFL season.
Tannehill last saw action for the Titans on December 18 in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
In that game, the 2019 NFL Comeback Player of the Year injured his right ankle in the first quarter.
Tannehill was carted to the locker room but somehow managed to return after his ankle was taped up and finish the game.
The Titans had already ruled out Tannehill as early as Wednesday, December 28.
Unless the Titans manage to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in their regular-season finale for the AFC South title and advance to the AFC Championship game, the 2022-23 NFL season is over and done with for the Texas native.
Aside from Tannehill, the Titans also placed Zach Cunningham on the injured reserve.
It was the second time this season with an injured elbow and outside linebacker Bud Dupree, who hurt a pectoral muscle in last week’s loss to Houston.
Hence, the Titans now have 22 players on the injured reserve. They enter Thursday night’s game using an NFL-high 82 different players a year after playing a league-high 91 players—most ever in a non-strike season.
With Tannehill out, the Titans started Joshua Dobbs in his place over rookie play-caller Malik Willis.
Dobbs, signed off Detroit’s practice squad on December 21, made his first NFL start after entering the league as a fourth-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2017 out of the University of Tennessee.
Willis, someone who many thought would get his fourth starting quarterbacking job, has appeared in eight games this season and is 1-2 as a starter.
He is 31 of 61 for 276 yards with three interceptions and just ran for his first NFL touchdown in last week’s loss to Houston.
As of this writing, the Titans were trailing the Dallas Cowboys, 6-17 in a Week 17 matchup.
Tennessee will wrap up its season at Jacksonville the following week.
Reuters
