Ryan Tannehill is Poised for a Successful Year

Entering his fifth NFL season, Ryan Tannehill finally has the pieces around him to establish himself as quarterback of the future.

Three different coaches. Three different offensive coordinators. The constant changes around Ryan Tannehill have impeded his development as an NFL quarterback. Now entering his fifth season, he has the personnel and developed the intangible assets to be successful in Miami.

Tannehill has received much criticism over his NFL tenure because of his inconsistencies and lack of production throughout his career. These critiques have included concern over his deep ball accuracy, late game performance among many other criticisms. Despite this, Tannehill has displayed resilience and maintained a calm demeanor to improve himself and remain poised throughout the constant changes in personnel.

One of the challenges with the coaching staff changes is the varying perspectives each new coach brings to the team. Tannehill has been directly impacted by this with the different leadership and offensive schemes he has had to learn. He has also suffered from the variance in his freedom on offense. Before Bill Lazor was fired, he limited Tannehill on the audibles he could call and did not grant him the free reign on offense that a quarterback in his fourth year should. Granted, he displayed many inconsistencies in his play, but without having a chance to be a complete field general his development was further impeded.

Throughout the 2015 season there were multiple instances where Tannehill was seen visibly frustrated at himself for his mistakes and many moments where he would get on his teammates for their mishaps on the field. Both are signs of his maturation at the position, being able to understand the flow of each play and the jobs of all 11 players on the field. He demonstrates this maturation by maintaining a positive ego and character. Tannehill avoids off the field issues and trouble with limited social media publicity and by staying focused on football. He attacks the offseason with dedicated workouts, improving his weaknesses and making connections with the right people to support his development.

“I’ve always felt like the No. 1 job that I have is to be an ally, to be a safe place where

a guy can talk and communicate and have a relationship where you can bounce things off and generate ideas. I’ve always thought the quarterback position is unique that way and I’ve always approached it that way.” — Clyde Christensen

This 2016 offseason, newly hired offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen praised Tannehill for his work ethic and commitment to the game. Christensten brings the support and experience Tannehill will need to be successful this upcoming season. His past experiences and success with Andrew Luck and with Peyton Manning, whom Tannehill spent time with this offseason, are indicative of a surefire coach to guide him this season.

Manning’s visit to Tannehill earlier this month is another notion of support for him in the upcoming year. Tannehill’s meeting with Manning earlier this month is another instance where he is trying to better himself as a football player, gaining intuition from one of the best to play the game.  Meeting with the first brainchild of Adam Gase’s offense and future Hall-of-Famer is only beneficial for Tannehill’s future:

"“It was really cool just to be able to sit and pick his brain about things he’s done in this offense and football things in general: snap counts, things you like, the way you want guys to run routes, little details about the game. We really just got to talk the game, which is something we both love.” — Ryan Tannehill"

Miami invested heavily in their offensive line this offseason, now loaded with four former first-round picks. Ryan Tannehill has been one of the most-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL in his four seasons, and should expect a major change for this upcoming year. In March, Miami signed veteran Jermon Bushrod and drafted Laremy Tunsil as their two big additions to the offensive line. Miami has struggled not only with the lack of talent on the line but also with injuries which have both contributed to the inconsistency. Now with more bodies in rotation, Tannehill should be more comfortable in the pocket.

The two members the Dolphins added to their receiving core in the draft will be dynamic assets for Tannehill and the addition only gives him more options. The booming development of Devante Parker at the end of last season and phenomenal play of Jarvis Landry throughout the past two years forecasts offensive success for the Dolphins in the future. With Kenny Stills and the additions of Leonte Carroo and Jakeem Grant, the receiving core is the strongest it has been since Tannehill was drafted.

The pieces should be in place for Tannehill to quiet his critics and have a successful season. His time is now, and he must take advantage of every single resource around him.