Ranking Josh Allen among the QBs of the AFC before 2022 NFL Draft

10. Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans)

After two severely underrated seasons with the Titans in 2019 and 2020, the former WR turned QB took a step back in 2021. And as much as Tannehill can take the blame for it, there were a lot of moving parts around him last season.

First and foremost, any QB would suffer when losing the best running back in football. Derrick Henry was on a torrid pace (1,091 yards from scrimmage and 10 rushing TDs in eight games) before missing action until the postseason with a foot injury.

Julio Jones (seven games missed) and A.J. Brown (four games missed) also took turns out of the lineup as well. In fact, Tannehill only had six games all season where he had all three of his super friends alongside him.

After back-to-back seasons with a passer rating over 100, Tannehill’s 2021 rating dipped to 89.6, his lowest since 2015. His 55.9 QBR is also the lowest in his Titans tenure and his lowest since his last year in Miami.

Tannehill could have combatted the absence of his best weapons around him with clean play, but instead, he compounded it with turnovers. Not only did the Texas A&M product have his first double-digit pick season since 2016, but his 14 were also the second-most of his career, only trailing his 17 from his second year in the NFL.

In total, Tannehill had six games in 2021 with multiple turnovers (including the postseason).

There are still a lot of positives about the nine-year pro’s game. Tannehill just averaged an on-target throw rate of above 77% for the third season in a row (78.9%) and a poor-throws rate of below 16% (15.9%) for the fourth-straight year. And what may be his most overlooked part of his game, Tannehill continues to bring value as a runner.

Although he hasn’t eaten up a ton of yardage (270 rushing yards or fewer in each of the last six seasons) Tannehill’s rushing TD totals are one of the tops in the league since joining Tennessee. His 18 ground scores are third for QBs behind Josh Allen (23) and Kyler Murray (20) over the last three seasons.

Tannehill will have Austin Hooper at tight end and Robert Woods joining the offense in place of Jones this season, as both appear to be sure fits next to Brown. And a healthy King Henry of course as well, which makes for a potentially potent unit.

The Titans have to be hoping for better health this year. That could be the difference between Tannehill shining like his first two seasons in Nashville, or being streaky like his last one there.