Mike Vrabel expects Ryan Tannehill to be Titans’ starter but won’t fully commit

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he expects Ryan Tannehill to be the starter in 2023 but wouldn’t fully commit to that.

The Tennessee Titans haven’t wholeheartedly committed to quarterback Ryan Tannehill yet this offseason, leaving his future in Nashville very murky.

While general manager Ran Carthon heaped praise on Tannehill after he took over the job, his comments did not feel like not a full-blown endorsement for Tannehill being the starter in 2023.

And that’s a similar approach head coach Mike Vrabel took when asked about Tannehill while down at the NFL owners meetings this week, per Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky.

“Of course [we expect Ryan Tannehill to be the starter],” Vrabel said. “Of course we do. We’re in March, we’re continuing to build a football team, the best football team we can. And Ryan is healthy, he’s getting healthy, I would say that he’s putting work in, it’s been good to see him around the building.

“So, yeah, we always expect that, but to make predictions — I think I’ve been through this last year — [I’m] not going to commit to anybody being on our roster in September. I’ve seen it change too quickly. And of course we want Ryan as our quarterback and everybody else that’s helped us win.”

Vrabel’s hesitance to fully commit to Tannehill is at least in part due to what happened with A.J. Brown, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles after Vrabel insisted he wouldn’t be dealt as long as he was the head coach.

While I do believe Tannehill remains the most likely option for the Titans in 2023 and is currently in line to be the starter, I don’t think Vrabel and Carthon have fully made up their minds yet.

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