The Tennessee Titans took everyone by surprise when they selected quarterback Malik Willis in the 2022 NFL Draft, especially Ryan Tannehill. Manyfelt that his job wouldnât be at risk anyway, but Tannehillâs comments about working with the rookieraised some eyebrows.
âI donât think itâs my job to mentor him, but if he learns from me along the way then thatâs a great thing,â he said. That controversial take was heavily criticised in the NFL world, as thatâs not what people expect to hear from a veteran signal-caller.
But of course, others have also taken Tannehillâs side, claiming that heâs paid to deliver results and not to prepareanother player to be ready. Mike Vrabelâs opinion on this matter will probably be the one that matters the most for Tannehill, and fortunately,the Titans coach has his back.
Ryan Tannehill gets strong support from Mike Vrabel
âI thought Ryan [Tannehill] handled that very well,â Vrabel said, viaAtoZ Sports Nashville.âI thought he was genuine and authentic. I know Ryan is a great teammate. That is not his job. His job is to help us win games.â
Thatâs what Tannehill seemed to imply, although one could also believe that he wouldnât say that if he wasnât worried about his job security. Itâs never easy for an aging quarterback to see his team going for a younger player at his position, but the way they react says a lot about them.
Some choose to accept the fact that Father Time is just around the corner and therefore help their backup as much as they can, while others only try to hold on to their job as much as they can. Tannehill seems to be the latter.
However, Vrabel might be doing the right thing. By voicing his support for Tannehill, he shutsthis issue downmore easilyand avoids creating more drama ahead of a very demanding season.
