Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had ankle surgery, may return this season, per reports

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill had surgery on his injured right ankle in an attempt to return by the final week of the regular season, per reports from ESPN and NFL Network.

Tannehill has been dealing with a sprain to his right ankle on and off since October. He aggravated the injury in the first quarter of last Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers but returned to finish the game after missing only one series. Now, per reports from ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Tannehill had surgery this week to address the injury but may be able to return from the procedure in time to play in the Titans' regular-season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first weekend of January.

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Titans coach Mike Vrabel ruled Tannehill out when Titans (7-7) play the Houston Texans (1-12-1) at Nissan Stadium on Saturday (noon, CBS) but didn't comment on his status beyond this weekend. Rookie Malik Willis will start in Tannehill's place. The Titans signed Joshua Dobbs off the Detroit Lions practice squad this week as a backup option.

Tannehill missed two games because of his ankle injury in the middle of the season, leading to Willis making his first two starts. Tannehill returned from the injury but admitted to never feeling 100 percent healthy while playing through it. The Titans have posted a 2-4 record since Tannehill returned from injury, including four losses in a row leading into this weekend.

The Week 18 game against the Jaguars could be a make-or-break game for the Titans. Though the Titans will have an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth before Week 18, they can guarantee one without needing any help by beating the Jaguars in Jacksonville. With Tannehill playing through his injury, the Titans lost 36-22 to the Jaguars on Dec. 11.

Contact Nick Suss at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.