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Titans GM Jon Robinson: QB Marcus Mariota is the Starter, and Ryan Tannehill is His Back-Up

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NASHVILLE – The Titans traded for a quarterback on Friday who has been a regular starter in his seven NFL seasons.

Ryan Tannehill, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, has an impressive resume.

Titans General Manager Jon Robinson made one thing clear in making the move, however: Marcus Mariota is the team's starter, and Tannehill was signed to be his back-up.

Also on Friday, the team informed Blaine Gabbert, the team's back-up in 2018, will be released.

"I talked to Ryan … and he understands that he is coming in as the back-up quarterback," Robinson said. "I've talked to Marcus and told Marcus he is our starting quarterback. Ryan is here to help Marcus, to push Marcus, to compete with Marcus.

"And after talking with Marcus, he said: 'One thing Jon that I believe with all my heart is that you try and do what's best for the team and you try and put us in the best position to win football games.' And that made me feel pretty good."

Mariota, headed into his fifth NFL season, has started 55 games since being drafted by the team in 2015.

He's completed 1,015-of-1,605 passes for 12,004 yards and 69 touchdowns, with 42 interceptions. His career completion percentage is 63.2 percent, and his career passer rating is 89.4

Mariota started 13 of the team's 16 games in 2018, and played in 14 of 16. He finished the year with 2,528 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He set the franchise record with a completion percentage of 68.9 %.

Robinson said Mariota is healing up from his injuries from 2018.

"He said he's feeling good. He's working out, moving around, throwing," Robinson said of Mariota. "So I think he is going to come back here a little bit before the appointed time (for the offseason program in April) and get some work in. … We are excited to have him back on our football team and looking forward to it."

Tannehill, a first-round pick (eight overall) by the Dolphins in the 2012 NFL Draft, has played in 88 career games in seven seasons in Miami, and he completed 1,829-of-2,911 passes for 20,434 yards, with 123 touchdowns and 75 interceptions. His career completion percentage is 62.8 percent, and his career passer rating is 87.0.

A 6-foot-4, 207-pounder, Tannehill also has 1,210 rushing yards and six touchdowns in his career.

Tannehill, 30, started 11 games for the Dolphins in 2018, and he completed 176-of-274 passes for 1,979 yards and 17 touchdowns, with nine interceptions. He missed the 2017 season with a knee injury.

"He has certainly played a lot of football in this league, and he is a tough guy, and he's a smart guy," Robinson said of Tannehill. "He is a pretty accurate passer. Like all quarterbacks you have some ups and downs, but I thought he did his best to put the team in position in Miami to win.

"And his skill-set, and Marcus' skill-set, are similar."

TitansOnline.com looks back at the NFL career of veteran QB Ryan Tannehill, who was acquired by the Titans in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. (AP Photos)

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