3 potential options to fix the Detroit Lions lurking quarterback problem

1. Ryan Tannehill, Free Agent

Tannehill has been previously mentioned as a potential veteran option for the Lions, should their situation behind Goff go that way. He is still available with the early days of training camp here.

Tannehill has started 151 regular season games over 12 seasons with the Dolphins and the Titans, and his five career playoff starts include a conference title game. His level of play has dropped off in recent years though, so his days as a full-time, clear-cut starter are done. He just turned 36 (on July 27), which also explains why he's still available.

It's abundantly clear that a narrow segment of teams would have any interest in Tannehill at all, and as a tentacle of that there are only certain situations that would appeal to him.

Speaking to the Scoop City podcast on July 26, Tannehill said he's "staying in shape and staying ready" if something does come up. But it'll have to be the right situation.

"Nothing really felt right through free agency and, through that, I had a lot of peace with it. Nothing outstanding jumped up, so I just said, `Hey, I’ll take a step back, and if something comes up on down the road.’ Whether that’s training camp, maybe a guy goes down on a team and gives me a call. You never know what’s going to happen. Just keeping the options open, but, at the same time, not waiting on pins and needles for that call, right? I’m enjoying where I’m at, enjoying where my feet are at, where my family life is. If something comes up, then fantastic, I’ll jump wholeheartedly into it. But, at the same time, not clearly just waiting on that.”

"Right now, I think it's going to depend on situation. At this point, I've been blessed to play 12 years and be where I'm at, so I'm not just going to continue to add years to add years. I want to be in a situation that I feel really good about. I'm not ruling anything out, but it's going to have to be the right situation for me and my family."

The Lions would seem to be an ideal match for Tannehill-a winning team, where he'd be an experienced upgrade to their backup quarterback situation. It may just come down to a call being made. While we're not there yet, probably, it could happen before too long if Hooker can't do enough to separate himself from Sudfeld.