Patriots Pressed to Sign Former Titans QB

Could the New England Patriots sign this former Tennessee Titans quarterback?

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) is introduced before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New England Patriots find themselves in a rather precarious position as far as their quarterback situation goes.

Jacoby Brissett is currently the starter, but based on how much of a beating he has been taking over the first few weeks of the season, he stands a relatively decent chance of getting injured.

That leaves Drake Maye and Joe Milton, two rookie signal-callers that the Patriots would not want to currently play for separate reasons. For Maye, New England does not want to throw its future to the wolves. In the case of Milton, it wouldn't exactly send a great message to the locker room.

As a result, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated thinks it would serve the Pats well to sign a veteran quarterback.

Breer made an appearance on NBC Sports Boston, and during the discussion about adding another quarterback to the roster, Ryan Tannehill's name surfaced.

Tannehill oddly remains unsigned.

The 36-year-old spent the last five years with the Tennessee Titans and experienced considerable success early on, making the Pro Bowl in 2019 and then throwing 33 touchdown passes in 2020.

Yes, Tannehill has shown obvious signs of decline the past several seasons, particularly in 2023 when he totaled four passing touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 appearances and eight starts.

However, Tannehill has plenty of experience as a starting quarterback, and in the event that Brissett gets hurt, it would strongly behoove the Patriots to have some insurance.

Handing the reins to Maye could result in disaster given how horrendous New England's offensive line has been, so signing someone like Tannehill to step in and serve as a bridge seems like a wise idea.

Brissett was sacked five times and was under constant duress during the Pats' Week 3 loss to the New York Jets, and that doesn't seem likely to change.

It may be time for the Patriots to begin thinking ahead.

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