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AFC East Q&A: Is Ryan Tannehill worthy?

Today's question: Is Ryan Tannehill worthy of being the Miami Dolphins' quarterback of the future? How is he viewed outside Miami?

Mike Rodak, Buffalo Bills: I'm not sold on Tannehill. Becoming a successful quarterback requires bringing your team to the playoffs, and Tannehill hasn't done that in three seasons in Miami. To make the playoffs, teams must win division games, and Tannehill hasn't done that. He's 5-7 in the AFC East over the past two seasons, with a 40.7 QBR over that span -- worse than Geno Smith (42.3 QBR). Partly because of a shaky offensive line, Tannehill has been abysmal against the Bills, posting a 1-3 record and a 19.8 QBR since 2013. There aren't better options out there, but I still believe that locking up Tannehill long term was a mistake.

Mike Reiss, New England Patriots: He's still growing into the position, but there are traits and tools that are worthy of continuing to harness and develop. So it's too early to pull the plug on the idea that Tannehill can be the "quarterback of the future." As for how Tannehill is viewed in New England, a 2013 game stands out to me in which the Patriots put top cornerback Aqib Talib on tight end Charles Clay, forcing Tannehill to go to the outside parts of the field. He did, with success. I think he earned some respect as a quarterback from New England at that point.

Rich Cimini, New York Jets: He's absolutely worthy of it. I know of some teams (i.e., the Jets) that would love to have a quarterback like Tannehill. He's 26 years old, already has 48 starts and 21 more touchdown passes (63) than interceptions. Now, is he a franchise quarterback? That's a different story. Right now, I'd say no. I can think of 16 other quarterbacks I'd rather have running my team. From talking to Jets players over the years, the feeling about Tannehill is that he has plenty of arm talent and athletic ability but that he gets happy feet when he senses pressure. In other words, he's easily rattled, which messes with his accuracy. He's only 23-25 as a starter, so I would've waited before giving him that $96 million contract. That said, you could do a lot worse than Tannehill in today's current quarterback climate.