Titans shake up backup QB field behind Ryan Tannehill by signing former NFL starter, departing from 2020 draft pick

The Tennessee Titans have a solidified starter at the quarterback position with Ryan Tannehill, but who will back him up is still very much up in the air. The backup quarterback battle was expected to include Logan Woodside and rookie Cole McDonald, but Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported on Wednesday that the Titans have waived the latter, who the team selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Not long after the news broke on McDonald, agent Mike McCartney announced that his client, quarterback Trevor Siemian, had agreed to a one-year deal with the Titans. 

Siemian, who worked out for the Titans earlier this week, was originally a seventh-round pick of the Denver Broncos during the 2015 NFL Draft. He started 24 total games for the Broncos in three seasons and threw for 5,686 yards, 30 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while registering a 13-11 record. After a disappointing 2017 season, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings to serve as Kirk Cousins’ backup. He didn’t see any action during the 2018 season.

After signing a one-year deal with the New York Jets for 2019, Siemian was given another chance to start during the Week 2 primetime matchup with the Cleveland Browns after Sam Darnold contracted mono, but he suffered a gruesome ankle injury which landed him on injured reserve. In that one game, Siemian completed 3 of 6 passes for three yards and was sacked twice.

Now in Nashville, Siemian is expected to battle Woodside for the right to back up Tannehill. Woodside has spent a couple of years on the practice squad for the Titans and found some success in the short-lived Alliance of American Football with the San Antonio Commanders.

McDonald decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the draft, and the Hawaii product recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time of any quarterback at the NFL combine. During his final two seasons at Hawaii, McDonald threw for 8,010 yards, 69 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He also rushed for 11 touchdowns over that span.