Sam Darnold or Ryan Tannehill: Which quarterback would you want?

The Case Against Ryan Tannehill

As with Darnold — and with any player — stats will never tell the full story. Unlike Darnold, stats and team situations are very favorable for Tannehill. But what does that say about Tannehill as a quarterback?

There is a clear difference in Tannehill’s supporting cast compared to Darnold’s supporting cast. Tannehill had the luxury of a top rushing offense to cover his tracks; Darnold had no such help. Also, the emergence of A.J. Brown in the passing game aided Tannehill’s passing. The rookie wide receiver was sixth in YAC (465).

Adding an asterisk to Tannehill’s career season is the possible inflation of value. The less passes a quarterback throws, the higher chance the numbers reflect an extreme. Well, Tannehill only attempted 286 passes, the fewest amount — by nearly 100 — for any quarterback who started at least 10 games last season. Therefore, his numbers might appear more efficient because he threw the ball less.

The idea that Tannehill is only good in the right system is also a fair statement. After all, Tannehill was nowhere near as efficient in his six Miami seasons, where he clawed through three head coaches and five offensive coordinators. Perhaps Tannehill isn’t a playmaking, game-on-the-line quarterback, but rather just a viable one who gets the job done. While there’s certainly a case against that, the truth is just one season isn’t enough to determine who Tannehill is.

We’ve seen plenty of veteran quarterbacks find success one season, only to fall from the spotlight the next. (RE: Case Keenum, Nick Foles, Sam Bradford, to name a few.) Could Tannehill be the latest iteration of the one-year wonder? 14 solid games isn’t enough of a sample size to make a fair evaluation.

And finally, the simplest distinction between Tannehill and Darnold might also be the most significant: age. Darnold turned 23 last month. Tannehill turns 32 next month. This matters because some will scoff at the older Tannehill and prefer a younger passer with a higher ceiling, while others may disregard Tannehill’s age and point to older, more successful quarterbacks in the NFL, like Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, etc.

After years of average quarterback play, Tannehill may have reached his peak after his award-winning 2019 season. The easy assumption is that he doesn’t have the ceiling that Darnold has; therefore, he is less valuable. With major help around him, could Tannehill simply be a product of favorable circumstances?