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Ryan Tannehill

Titans will be taking some sacks

One of the stories making the rounds today involves Ryan Tannehill saying it's not his job to mentor Malik Willis. It sounds bad on the surface, but it's not as terrible in the full context of the interview, and it's not uncommon for veteran quarterbacks asked about drafted rookies (some have just been a little more diplomatic or careful with their answers).

Certainly, Tannehill is on the hot seat, but let's keep in mind where Willis was selected, not where many believed he'd be selected. He was a third-round pick, drafted after Tennessee had selected three other players, including a developmental tackle prospect in that round. If Tennessee has much confidence that Willis is a future franchise quarterback, they did a good job of disguising it.

In talking about Willis here recently, we noted that he was sacked once every 7 dropbacks at Liberty last season. That's an area where he's going to need considerable work, but not one where Tannehill will necessarily provide a lot of mentoring. It's been a problem for the veteran for much of his career, including last year.

Over the course of his career, Tann has been a 16-game starter six times. He's taken at least 45 sacks in four of those seasons, including 2021. He's compiled four of the 35 worst sack rates in the NFL over that time frame. (Data from pro-football-reference.com used in compiling this table.) Most of those were early in his career, with the Dolphins, but last year was a throwback performance for him in this regard.

QUARTERBACK SACK RATES, 2012-2021
PlayerSeasonGSCmpAttYdsTDIntSkSk/Att
Deshaun Watson20181634550541652696212.3%
Russell Wilson20181628042734483575111.9%
Blake Bortles201413280475290811175511.6%
Josh Rosen201813217393227811144511.5%
Carson Wentz202012251437262016155011.4%
Jacoby Brissett20171527646930981375211.1%
Tyrod Taylor20171426342027991444611.0%
Colin Kaepernick201416289478336919105210.9%
Dak Prescott20181635652638852285610.6%
Daniel Jones202014280448294311104510.0%
Ryan Tannehill20131635558839132417589.9%
Joe Burrow20211636652046113414519.8%
Alex Smith2014153034643265186459.7%
Alex Smith2015163074703486207459.6%
Kyle Allen20191230348933221716469.4%
Russell Wilson2015163294834024348459.3%
Russell Wilson2019163415164110315489.3%
Philip Rivers20121633852736062615499.3%
Aaron Rodgers2012163715524295398519.2%
Derek Carr20181638155340491910519.2%
Deshaun Watson2020163825444823337499.0%
Kyler Murray20191634954237222012488.9%
Ryan Tannehill20211735753137342114478.9%
Andy Dalton20121632952836692716468.7%
Russell Wilson20201638455842124013478.4%
Blake Bortles20151635560644283518518.4%
Matthew Stafford20171637156544462910478.3%
Aaron Rodgers2018163725974442252498.2%
Eli Manning20181638057642992111478.2%
Aaron Rodgers2015163475723821318468.0%
Joe Flacco20131636261439121922487.8%
Ryan Tannehill20141639259040452712467.8%
Matt Ryan20191540861644662614487.8%
Ryan Tannehill20151636358642082412457.7%
Jameis Winston20191638062651093330477.5%
Matthew Stafford20141636360242572212457.5%

Tannehill should start all season, with Willis learning the ropes and developing. But whether it's him or Willis in the lineup over the next few years, it looks like it will be a good offense to put a defense up against in fantasy leagues.

--Andy Richardson

Fantasy Index