Reflecting on the Ryan Tannehill Era for the Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans sit at 2-4 after their bye week and it is time for this team to admit to themselves that they are at the end of an era. Unfortunately, we cannot deny reality anymore, and the truth is that the Titans can no longer justify trying to compete with their current core.

Early in the offseason, it looked like they should have really started the rebuild, but they decided to give it another shot. The whole idea seemed like a pipe dream until they signed Deandre Hopkins which appeared to have changed everything.

However, it only took six weeks to come to terms with their situation, as they just traded Kevin Byard just a week before the upcoming trade deadline.

The Titans are not expected to stop there, as Derrick Henry is among those they could part with before next Tuesday.

No matter who is traded and who is not, changes are going to be made throughout the lineup, and in particular, at the quarterback position. Ryan Tannehill was already having a rough season, but then he suffered a high ankle sprain in the recent loss in London, effectively ending the Titans playoff hopes given their team's situation this year.

As such, that all but closes the book on the era of Titans football, which includes Tannehill's job as the starting quarterback. Even if he does come back, the team will probably be well out of the playoff hunt, so he has almost certainly played his last snap of meaningful football in the two-tone blue.

The NFL is unfortunately a "what have you done for me lately" kind of league, and where Tannehill is right now is not going to get the Titans anywhere far in the playoffs. But when you look at his overall body of work under center in Nashville, you cannot deny the valuable contributions he made to the team and their success.

Ultimately, the Ryan Tannehill era will go down as a memorable and fun one for the Tennessee Titans, and now is a good time to reflect on his entire journey and his significance to the franchise.