Titans QB Ryan Tannehill reportedly has high ankle sprain, but will avoid surgery
For the second year in a row, Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill has sustained an ankle injury during the season. But unlike last year, his recovery won't include a trip to the operating room.
According to ESPN's Jeff Darlington, the Titans have gotten "overall good news" on Tannehill's ankle injury: It's a high ankle sprain that will not require surgery. There is no timetable for his return.
Tannehill injured his ankle against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, late in the third quarter of Tennessee's 24-16 loss. He left the game after throwing an interception, but it appeared he'd hurt his ankle on an earlier play (the same ankle that was surgically repaired earlier this year) and had been favoring his right leg.
#Titans QB Ryan Tannehill still in, limping heavily favoring his right leg. Right foot got trapped on a sack play, mechanism for high ankle sprain. Got taped. Tannehill had tightrope ankle surgery on that ankle (for a high ankle injury) last December. pic.twitter.com/ytBoNmEQzC
— DocFlynn (@DocFlynnNFL) October 15, 2023
Following the game, Tannehill confirmed that he wasn't able to plant his right foot to make accurate throws.
"I couldn't put any force into the throws. I wasn't going to be able to move, so I kept trying to walk it off. It was getting worse and worse, and I wasn't going to be able to make the throws."
Head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that Tannehill's ankle injury is similar to the one he sustained last year in Week 7. It cost him just two games at the time, but he aggravated it in Week 15 and missed the rest of the season. He had surgery in the offseason that fixed the issue, but it's likely something Tannehill wants to avoid doing again if possible.
The Titans have caught another break with this injury: they have a bye in Week 7, meaning that Tannehill will get nearly two weeks to rest and rehab the injury. If the Titans do end up needing a non-Tannehill option for Week 8, it would be either Malik Willis, who played the entire fourth quarter Sunday after Tannehill departed, or rookie Will Levis, the No. 3 quarterback.
