Ryan Tannehill Extension Both Necessary and Wise for Budding Miami Dolphins

The NFL is composed of two types of teams: those with legitimate quarterbacks and those still searching to address the game's most important position. 

Sometimes, there is a very fine line between the two designations. 

The Miami Dolphins believe they already found their answer behind center in Ryan Tannehill. The organization's conviction in its young quarterback was strong enough for the two sides to agree to a six-year, $96 million contract extension Monday, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter. 

"We are thrilled that we were able to sign Ryan to an extension," Dolphins vice president Mike Tannenbaum said in a statement, per ESPN.com's James Walker. "He is an ascending talent, a team leader and checks all of the boxes you are looking for at the position."

The key description in Tannenbaum's statement is "ascending talent." This is where the emphasis should be placed. 

It's easy to be taken aback by the contract's maximum worth, but it needs to be put into context before any assertions can be made about its actual worthiness.

During the past two years, the Baltimore Ravens' Joe Flacco, Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo, Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers, Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan, San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick, Cincinnati Bengals' Andy Dalton and Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler all signed extensions in excess of $100 million.

The exact structure of Tannehill's deal has yet to be revealed, but he's much closer to this group of quarterbacks in level of play than he isn't. 

Let's take Rodgers out of the equation, because he's the NFL's reigning MVP. Tannehill's production last season, though, was comparable or better than the rest of the bunch. 

Player	Team	Comp.%	Yards	YPA	TDs	INTs
Tannehill	Dolphins	66.4	4,045	6.86	27	12
Cutler	Bears	66.0	3,812	6.80	28	18
Dalton	Bengals	64.2	3,398	7.06	19	17
Flacco	Ravens	62.1	3,986	7.20	27	12
Kaepernick	49ers	60.5	3,369	7.05	19	10
Romo	Cowboys	69.9	3,705	8.52	34	9
Ryan	Falcons	66.1	4,694	7.48	28	14

Here's the kicker in Tannehill's favor and why the Dolphins were eager to secure a deal: The 26-year-old signal-caller is the youngest of the aforementioned group, and he's continued to trend upward during his three-year career. 

Last season, the Dolphins quarterback set career highs in attempts, completions, completion percentage, passing yards, yards per attempt, touchdowns and quarterback rating. He also set a new career low with 16 total turnovers. 

In fact, the Texas A&M product kept rare company over the past three seasons, as illustrated by the Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly: 

Tannehill's recent production invokes a couple of interesting comparisons. His performance last season brought him within striking distance of Dan Marino and Chad Pennington in areas where each excelled during his career. 

Kelly, again, provides the examples: 

Of course, Tannehill's numbers are inflated in today's pass-happy league. There is no denying it's easy to create offensively within the NFL's current landscape. But that's simply another reason retaining a young and promising quarterback becomes even more important within the grand scheme of things. 

In the AFC East, for example, the incomparable Tom Brady reigns supreme as the division's top quarterback. He's done so for quite a long time. Yet neither the Buffalo Bills nor the New York Jets own a quarterback nearly as talented or productive as Tannehill. It provides the Dolphins with an edge against two of their primary rivals. 

But Miami needs to take the next step. 

Another 8-8 campaign isn't good enough after two straight .500 seasons. Tannehill was just paid like a quarterback who gets his team to the playoffs instead of just on the edge of respectability. Not only does he need to continue his overall improvement, but the organization's expectations are loud and clear after handing the Texas native a massive extension.

The NFL Network's Albert Breer underscored the point:  

Good quarterbacks produce. Great quarterbacks elevate the play of those around them. Tannehill has yet to show the ability to do the latter. He even struggled to produce in certain areas, too. 

The young QB needs to be more accurate when pressing the ball downfield. He also must be more cognizant of pressure after being sacked 46 times last year, which was third worst in the league.

But Miami has improved tremendously through free agency, trades and the NFL draft. 

Not only did the defense get better with the signing of All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but the offense also was revamped to better suit offensive coordinator Bill Lazor's uptempo offense.

Wide receivers Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson and tight end Charles Clay are gone.

Tannehill now has new toys to play with in speedy wide receiver Kenny Stills, former Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Cameron, first-round receiver DeVante Parker and even running back Jay Ajayi, who was selected in the fifth round to team with Lamar Miller. 

Plus, last year's marquee free-agent signing, left tackle Branden Albert, is expected to be fully recovered from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, which he originally suffered in November. 

All of these changes should allow Tannehill to continue to grow into his role as the team's offensive leader. 

For these reasons, Rotoworld's Adam Levitan targeted the Dolphins quarterback as a potential breakthrough performer—at least from a fantasy football perspective: 

Fantasy can quickly turn into reality. 

Dolphins brass built a talented roster, and the organization believes it has the right trigger man behind center. The only correct path the franchise could have taken was giving Tannehill an extension, even at $96 million. Depending on the final breakdown, it may eventually be viewed as a deal in the Dolphins' favor compared to those of other quarterbacks around the league. 

If the Dolphins are going to take the next step as a team, it can only be accomplished with Tannehill leading the way. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.