Top 5 deep-ball passers in the NFL entering the 2020 season

1. Ryan Tannehill, Tennesse Titans

40+ Yard Completions in 2019: 9
Percentage to Total Pass Attempts: 3.14

It’s okay to be flabbergasted; so were we. Ryan Tannehill had three main scenarios going for him that enabled his presence as the leader on this list.

First, his sample-size for playing time in this analysis was slightly smaller than his peers. Tannehill took over for the once-promising Marcus Mariota who was benched by Titans coach Mike Vrabel in October 2019.

Next, the Titans did not throw the football all that much. Tennessee’s 448 total pass attempts in 2019 was the second-fewest in the league. Only the Baltimore Ravens threw the football fewer times.

Third, when Tannehill was actually allowed to sling it, he capitalized. Should Tannehill have any interest in making deep-ball production a prolonged affair, he needs to befriend wide receiver A.J. Brown. The rookie from Ole Miss snatched 56 percent of all Tannehill’s passes of 40 or more yards. It’s a brand new dynamic duo — and it worked superbly last season.

Tannehill’s candidacy for this analysis was necessary as he did play three-fourths of football games in 2019. It’s unlikely most football purists would peg him as a more flashy deep-ball passer than Patrick Mahomes. Yet, to have excluded Tannehill for this top spot would have been an arbitrary dismissal of the numbers.

For the 2019 season, Tannehill statistically deserves top honors, with a bold asterisk that says “A.J. Brown.”