Grading the Ryan Tannehill trade for Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins

The Tennessee Titans have traded for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, giving the Miami Dolphins draft picks in return. Grading the deal for both teams.

Reports early in the Miami Dolphins offseason indicated that they planned to release quarterback Ryan Tannehill, signaling the team entering a transitional period. Moreover, given Tannehill’s contract, many assumed that releasing him was the only option. The Tennessee Titans thought otherwise, however, as they have traded for the signal-caller on Friday afternoon.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Titans will send their 2019 seventh-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick to Miami in exchange for the quarterback. In addition to Tannehill, the Titans will receive a 2019 sixth-round pick from the Dolphins. Moreover, it’s important to note that Tannehill has agreed to restructure his contract with Tennessee, while Miami will pay $5 million of his salary in the form of a signing bonus.

Here’s how the trade looks in its entirety.

This isn’t a move that many saw coming, but that doesn’t mean it’s a senseless move at all. Let’s hand out a grade to each team for this trade, starting with the Titans.

Grade for Tennessee Titans

This was a big move for the Titans, even if it wasn’t something that many thought of coming into the year. Marcus Mariota is a divisive figure among NFL fans, but he’s clearly their best option at quarterback and many believe he still has star potential. Regardless of opinions, though, he’s also been banged up a bit here and there throughout his career. And with that, his backups haven’t been great.

We’ve seen Matt Cassel and Blaine Gabbert over the past couple of years have to play meaningful snaps for Tennessee, which is enough to scar a front office and push them into action. By adding Tannehill — and the signal-caller restructuring his contract, too — the Titans give themselves one of the top-notch backups in the NFL.

The only reason that this trade doesn’t get top marks is that they gave up a fourth-round pick next year, which I would’ve liked to see a little bit later in the draft. However, with addressing a need and not giving up all that much capital to do so, the Titans have to be pleased with this deal.

Grade: A-

Grade for Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have to walk away from this trade with their heads held high. While their quarterback depth chart currently consists of the troublesome duo of Luke Falk and Jake Rudock, they knew that was likely going to be the case heading into the NFL Draft — though they’d likely prefer to have a veteran.

Regardless of those well-laid plans, Miami was going to cut ties with Tannehill just to get his cap hit off the books and start anew at the quarterback position. Subsequently, to be able to pick up any kind of compensation for the quarterback is a great get for them, especially the fourth-rounder for next year’s draft.

There’s good reason for Dolphins fans to worry about what 2019 is going to look like in Miami, at the quarterback position and otherwise. Looking through a pinhole at just this trade, though, they pulled off a good move that, even if only slightly, will benefit them in the long run.

Final Grade: A