Tannehill's Mark Among Top Current Quarterbacks, But Not For The Titans

When it comes to NFL quarterbacks who have passed for 4,000 yards or more in a single season, current Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill is a member. Still, he is not the last one to have posted that number for the Titans organization.
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NASHVILLE - Of the 32 teams that make up the NFL, only one franchise has never had a 4,000-yard passer in a single season, the Chicago Bears. Each of the others has had at least one in their history.

The Tennessee Titans, of course, have had a quarterback exceed that mark in their history, though it might surprise you who and how long ago it occurred.   

Current quarterback Ryan Tannehill is among the 15 current quarterbacks who have surpassed that figure, but he did it as a member of the Miami Dolphins during the 2012 season. 

To find the Titans/Oilers player who accomplished this, you need to turn the page to 1991, where NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon turned the trick for the then-Houston Oilers. Moon did it twice, in both the 1990 and 91 seasons, with the latter being the last time someone with this franchise hit that plateau.    

Since then, Tannehill has come close on two different occasions, in 2020 (3,819) and 2021 (3,734). 

Matt Hasselbeck (2011), Marcus Mariota (2016), and Steve McNair (2001-2002) all topped the 3,000-yard mark since the team moved to Nashville from Houston.   

As the NFL has evolved and developed into a more pass-happy league, the Titans have been one of the few teams that have held on to the running game in a more vibrant way, with Eddie George, Chris Johnson, and now Derrick Henry being the bell cows and top offensive weapons for this franchise. 

In fact, in the 25 seasons since the Oilers arrived in Tennessee and transformed into the Titans, just ten receivers have eclipsed the thousand-yard receiving mark in a single season. 

Derrick Mason has four of those seasons, including 2003, where he posted the franchise's fourth all-time best season with 1,303 yards. His other thousand-yard seasons came in 2004 (1,168 yards), 2001 (1,128 yards), and 2002 (1,012 yards).

Drew Bennett managed it in 2004, when he gained 1,247 yards, while Delanie Walker (1,088 yards) in 2015, Kendall Wright (1,079 yards) in 2013, and Nate Washington (1,023 in 2011 are among those who did it as Titans. 

The last Titans receiver who did it was A.J. Brown, who turned the feat twice, in 2019 and 2020, with 1,075 and 1,051 yards, respectively.   

While all these numbers might not mean much to some, it is yet another look into the history of this franchise and how the passing game, even at its best, still takes a backseat to the running game. 

That trend seems likely to continue in the coming 2023 season, as the receiving corps at present seems far behind the majority of the rest of the league as the Titans continue to chase that elusive Super Bowl title.  

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Greg Arias
GREG ARIAS

Greg Arias covers the Tennessee Titans for All Titans.com on Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He has been covering the NFL for various outlets since 2000.