The Chicago Bears don’t need to add a starting QB in free agency, but they might well be in the market for a veteran backup.
Perhaps the best option for that job currently on the market is former Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans starter Ryan Tannehill. Bill Barnwell of ESPN named Chicago the “best team fit” for Tannehill in an article published on Wednesday, March 20.
“The depth chart in Chicago consists of Tyson Bagent and Brett Rypien,” Barnwell wrote. “Tannehill’s not going to push likely No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams for the starting job, but a little bit of veteran experience in the quarterback room wouldn’t hurt.”
Tannehill was a poster boy for the average NFL quarterback for the first half of his career, which he spent in Miami. However, he earned a Pro Bowl nod in his first season in Tennessee in 2019 and led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game. The franchise went on to earn playoff berths in each of the next two seasons as well.
Using Tannehill’s five-year history in Tennessee — including last year as a prime example — Barnwell made a case for why a healthy Tannehill remains a starting-caliber QB, even despite entering his age-36 season in 2024.
“I’m not sure anybody was going to thrive behind a porous offensive line in Tennessee last season,” Barnwell wrote Wednesday. “The 2022 version of Tannehill averaged 7.8 yards per attempt with Robert Woods as his top wideout, and it’s telling that the Titans fell apart after their starting quarterback went down with another ankle injury. That version of Tannehill would be overqualified as a backup.
