Today’s taxi squad moves:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DE Taco Charlton
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Nate Meadors
Entering this week’s winner-take-all game to decide the AFC South, it had been an open question with respect to who the Titans would start at quarterback. Head coach Mike Vrabel put the issue to rest on Monday, naming Joshua Dobbs the team’s Week 18 starter. 
The move comes as little surprise given the fact that the veteran got the nod for Tennessee’s Thursday night loss to the Cowboys. That decision, in turn, came just over one week after the veteran was signed off the Lions’ practice squad to give the team another healthy option under center.
Dobbs completed 20-of-39 passes last week, totaling 232 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The loss against Dallas carried zero playoff implications for the Titans, so they rested a number of key players to protect against injury in advance of their crucial matchup with the Jaguars. One starter who was sidelined out of necessity, of course, was starting signal-caller Ryan Tannehill.
Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in Week 15, and his availability for the remainder of the season remains very much in doubt. While the Pro Bowler has not been shut down this season, he is not expected to see the field again until next year. That pointed to rookie backup Malik Willis taking over for last week’s game as a means of gaining much-needed experience, but Dobbs was Vrabel’s preferred choice.
Today’s announcement confirms that Vrabel trusts Dobbs more at this point in his career than the third-rounder for a must-win contest, despite the lack of familiarity the former has within the team’s offense. In three starts this year, including Week 16, Willis has attempted only 49 passes and totaled 234 yards. He has added 95 yards on the ground over that span, at times demonstrating the dual-threat ability which made him one of the top options in the 2021 QB draft class.
Willis will once again remain on the sidelines for on Saturday, however, with the Titans’ playoff hopes resting on their ability to halt a six-game losing streak. There is a scenario in which the Jaguars could make the playoffs as a Wild Card team, but for Tennessee the only path to the playoffs is a division title which seemed all-but certain until recently. Their ability to win the AFC South will be decided in no small part by Dobbs’ ability to further acclimate himself to his newest team in the coming days.
Friday’s minor moves around the league:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: RT La’El Collins (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: OLB Sam Okuayinonu, CB John Reid
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league, including the Cowboys’ and Titans’ standard gameday elevations for the season’s last Thursday Night game:
Buffalo Bills
- Designated to return from IR: CB Christian Benford
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: C Brock Hoffman, RB Qadree Ollison
Denver Broncos
- Signed off Ravens practice squad: RB Tyler Badie
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: OLB Sam Okuayinonu, LB Andre Smith, RB Jonathan Ward
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Zack Johnson, DL Jayden Peevy
Badie is a rookie sixth-round pick that failed to make the Ravens initial 53-man roster. The 22-year-old had a breakout senior season at Mizzou that saw him rush for 1,604 yards and 14 touchdowns, adding 330 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns, as well. After being waived in the team’s final roster cuts before the season, Badie signed to the Ravens practice squad, where he’s remained all season. Badie adds to the quantity of the Broncos’ room of running backs that currently holds Latavius Murray, Chase Edmonds, and Marlon Mack, as well as fullback Andrew Beck.
The three Titans’ signees are filling roster spots vacated by quarterback Ryan Tannehill and linebackers Bud Dupree and Zach Cunningham, all of whom were placed on injured reserve today.
While Ryan Tannehill had been attempting to find a way to come back from his nagging ankle injury this season, the Titans are effectively shutting that effort down.
Tennessee placed Tannehill on IR on Thursday, and linebackers Bud Dupree and Zach Cunningham will join him on the league’s most populated IR list. All three players must miss a minimum of four games. Given the direction of Tennessee’s season, each is almost certainly done.
Mike Vrabel had attempted to go week to week with his starting quarterback, but a report last week indicated the ankle aggravation Tannehill suffered in Los Angeles was set to end his season. Tannehill, who missed two games with the ankle ailment earlier this year, went down again against the Chargers in Week 15 and needed to be carted off the field. He somehow managed to come back against the Bolts, scoring a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Tannehill, 34, underwent ankle surgery last week but had maintained efforts to potentially come back again. Instead, it will be Joshua Dobbs — signed last week off the Lions’ practice squad — taking the reins against the Cowboys tonight. It is uncertain if the Titans are merely going to Dobbs because of a conservation effort for a do-or-die Week 18 matchup against the Jaguars or if Malik Willis has indeed been benched. Willis has made three starts in relief of Tannehill but has struggled throughout his rookie year.
The Titans have Tannehill signed to a four-year, $118MM extension that runs through next season. The former Dolphins top-10 pick is due a $27MM base salary and is set to count more than $36MM against Tennessee’s cap. Tannehill is attached to a $38.6MM 2022 cap hit and has played with a far worse receiving situation compared to his previous Titans slates. Over the past two offseasons, the Titans have let Corey Davis walk and traded A.J. Brown. Ready replacements — a concern at this season’s outset — have not emerged, playing a major role in the team’s five-game losing streak.
Tennessee would save nearly $19MM by trading or releasing Tannehill next year, with that number rising with a post-June 1 release designation. Then again, the Titans have not exactly seen much from Willis — a third-round pick this year — to indicate he would be ready to take over. This season has marked Tannehill’s first injury-marred campaign with Tennessee. Knee injuries hounded the Texas A&M product in Miami, but since replacing Marcus Mariota in October 2019, Tannehill did not miss a game as a Titan until this season.
Dupree has been unable to escape injuries as a Titan. Signed to a lucrative deal despite coming off a November 2020 ACL tear, Dupree has missed 10 games with Tennessee. The former first-round pick has totaled just seven sacks in two seasons with the Titans, who needed more from the ex-Steeler after Harold Landry went down with an ACL tear just before the season. A chest injury will lead Dupree to IR this time.
The Titans just activated Cunningham from IR last week, bringing him back after he missed time with an elbow injury. He will head back to the injured list with an elbow injury. Tennessee claimed Dupree off waivers from Houston late last season and has used him exclusively as a starter. Injuries, however, will limit Cunningham to six games this season. The former second-round pick will likely become a cap-casualty candidate; the Titans could save more than $9MM by releasing the 28-year-old defender next year.
In addition to Tannehill, Dupree and Cunningham, Tennessee’s IR contingent includes the following players: Landry, Taylor Lewan, Ben Jones, Nate Davis, David Long, Elijah Molden, Caleb Farley, Dillon Radunz and Terrance Mitchell. Amy Adams Strunk cited the team’s recent injury problems as a reason for GM Jon Robinson‘s ouster months after his extension. After using an NFL-record 91 players last season, the Titans will end this one approaching that mark.
The Titans are not exactly going into Thursday night’s Cowboys game with a clear intent to win. The injury-plagued team is planning to rest numerous starters, with a Week 18 date against the Jaguars set to determine its playoff fate.
But Tennessee will make an interesting change at quarterback. Rather than give Malik Willis more reps in his rookie season, the Titans are preparing to start recent acquisition Joshua Dobbs, Justin Melo of The Draft Network tweets. Tennessee brought in Dobbs on Dec. 21, with Ryan Tannehill out with an ankle injury. Tannehill is not expected to return this season, though the starter has not shut it down just yet.
A former Tennessee Volunteer, Dobbs has bounced around in the pros. The sixth-year backup has been with three teams just this year, moving from Cleveland to Detroit to Nashville over the past month. The former fourth-round pick has not thrown any regular-season passes this season; his most recent game work came in 2020 with the Steelers. The Browns signed Dobbs this offseason and used him as Jacoby Brissett‘s backup for much of the year, but once Deshaun Watson was eligible to play, Cleveland cut bait. Dobbs landed in Detroit, but Tennessee poached him from the Lions’ practice squad.
Dobbs has seen most of his NFL work come in the preseason, and the Titans’ Week 17 lineup will have the look of an August matchup. Tennessee placed O-line starters Nate Davis and Ben Jones on IR last week, and the team will be without right tackle starter Nicholas Petit-Frere against Dallas. With Taylor Lewan out of the picture, the Titans will deploy basically a second-string O-line tonight. While Willis’ early work points to extensive development being needed, the Titans may be leery of putting the third-round pick behind this set of blockers against a top-tier Cowboys pass rush.
In an arrangement that will surely test Al Michaels’ patience, Titans will also sit Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, Amani Hooker, Bud Dupree and Zach Cunningham. Oh, and they are unlikely to deploy Derrick Henry, who is doubtful with a hip injury. This sets up an unusual Week 17 and an odd Week 18 plan. The Titans look like they will be trying to salvage their season in Jacksonville next week on the heels of a six-game losing streak. Even if the Titans drop to 7-9 tonight, the AFC South will be on the line next week.
Willis has shown some promise in the run game but has looked woefully overmatched through the air. The mid-major product has not eclipsed 100 passing yards in any of his three pro starts and has a 0-3 TD-INT ratio on 61 pass attempts. It will be interesting if the Titans turn back to Willis or go with Dobbs (17 career attempts) against the Jaguars, when they reconvene for relevant football, next week.
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: WR Pharoh Cooper, DL Manny Jones
- Placed on IR: S Budda Baker (story), DT Trysten Hill
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return: WR Jared Bernhardt
- Placed on IR: OL Chuma Edoga
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return: WR Tylan Wallace
Detroit Lions
- Reverted to season-ending IR: WR Quintez Cephus
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed to active roster: CB Darrell Baker Jr.
- Placed on IR: CB Isaiah Rodgers Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed to active roster: DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: DE Isaac Rochell, LB Harvey Langi
- Placed on IR: DE Chandler Jones, LB Denzel Perryman (story)
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Cardinals): OL Wyatt Davis
- Signed off Lions’ practice squad: LB Jarrad Davis
- Placed on IR: OL Shane Lemieux
- Waived: TE Chris Myarick
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Designated for return: CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return: CB Isaiah Dunn
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: RB Jonathan Ward
Washington Commanders
- Designated for return: CB Tariq Castro-Fields, TE Armani Rogers
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, much is still to be decided both in terms of playoff positioning and the order of the upcoming draft. Five teams are still eligible to land the top pick.
The Texans remain in pole position to hold the No. 1 spot, but their win over the Titans (coupled with the Bears’ losing streak extending to eight games) leaves Chicago just a half-game away. The fact that the Bears would likely select a defensive player rather than a quarterback with the top pick adds considerable intrigue to the potential implications of them ending up with that slot.
With the Browns continuing to struggle even with Deshaun Watson back from suspension, there is a distinct possibility that four first-rounders which changed hands (including Cleveland’s top 2023 pick, part of the package they sent to Houston for Watson) land in the top 10. Another premium selection would obviously soften the blow of losing out on the No. 1 spot from the Texans’ perspective, should that take place.
The final Wild Card spot in each conference is still being contested by several teams, resulting in a logjam of 7-8 squads in the middle of the order. Several head-to-head matchups will be played out between those clubs, which could lead to plenty of change in their positioning over the next two weeks. The race for both the AFC and NFC South titles will also have a significant impact on the final order, given the average (at best) record each division’s winner will have at the end of the regular season.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks entering Week 17:
- Houston Texans: 2-12-1
- Chicago Bears: 3-12
- Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
- Arizona Cardinals: 4-11
- Indianapolis Colts: 4-10-1
- Atlanta Falcons: 5-10
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Carolina Panthers: 6-9
- Las Vegas Raiders: 6-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
- Houston Texans (via Browns)
- Seattle Seahawks: 7-8
- Tennessee Titans: 7-8
- New England Patriots: 7-8
- New York Jets: 7-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-8
- Green Bay Packers: 7-8
- Detroit Lions: 7-8
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 7-8
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-8
- Washington Commanders: 7-7-1
- New York Giants: 8-6-1
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-6
- Baltimore Ravens: 10-5
- Denver Broncos (via 49ers through Dolphins)
- Dallas Cowboys: 11-4
- Cincinnati Bengals: 11-4
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-3
- Minnesota Vikings: 12-3
- Buffalo Bills: 12-3
- Philadelphia Eagles: 13-2
Next year’s draft will feature a 31-pick first round. The Dolphins’ penalty for the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering scandal cost them their 2023 first-round choice
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: P Brock Miller
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Tony Jones Jr.
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Danny Isidora
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LB De’Jon Harris
Ryan Tannehill‘s season may not be over after all. The Titans quarterback underwent surgery on his ankle this week, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. While the QB is a “long shot” to play again this year, the veteran is doing everything in his power to return to the field. However, a league source told Schefter that Tannehill isn’t expected to appear again during the regular season (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Titans’ Ryan Tannehill Likely Out For Season]
Tannehill suffered a right ankle injury during last weekend’s loss to the Chargers. While the veteran QB only missed one series, he dealt with significant pain after returning to the game. Tannehill suffered an injury to the same ankle earlier this season, forcing him to miss a pair of games.
The QB has already been ruled out for this weekend, with third-round rookie Malik Willis taking over under center. Considering the severity of Tannehill’s injury, it was assumed the young QB would remain the signal-caller for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs (assuming Tennessee makes it that far). However, today’s report hints that the veteran will try to return at some point over the next three weeks or for the first round of the postseason. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport writes that Tannehill is specifically eyeing a return for a potentially crucial Week 18 showdown against the Jaguars.
“We are never going to question his toughness or his willingness to get back and help us win,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said last weekend (via Schefter).
Rapoport provides more details on Tannehill’s recent surgery, noting that the QB underwent a tightrope surgical procedure on his injured ankle. The recovery time for the procedure can vary, but Rapoport says the best-case scenario has a player returning in about three weeks. As the reporter notes, it’s a bit telling that Tannehill has gone under the knife but hasn’t been placed on IR, an indication that the organization is hoping he’ll be back at some point within the next four weeks.
The Titans would surely prefer their veteran QB under center against the Cowboys and Jaguars, but it’s not like he was doing a whole lot to help their playoff chances. While Tennessee currently sits atop the AFC South, they’ve dropped four straight, with Tannehill throwing three touchdowns vs. two interceptions over that stretch.