Titans’ Zach Mettenberger no threat to start over Jake Locker
The health of Jake Locker has plagued the Tennessee Titans quarterback throughout his career in the NFL and during his time in college at Washington, so the backup job in Tennessee is a position battle that bears watching.
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Tennessee drafted former LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft in May and if not for a torn ACL that ended his season early, likely would have been taken three-four rounds earlier.
The Titans have to be excited with his recovery from his surgery and how well he has looked in the preseason as he leads the NFL in passing yards through three preseason contests.
However, that still is not good enough for head coach Ken Whisenhunt to move him ahead of Charlie Whitehurst on the depth chart.
"“Charlie’s had a very good preseason, too, and a very good camp,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said, via the Tennessean. “I’ve said Charlie was the [No.] 2 coming in, and I don’t think that is going to change.”"
Whitehurst was the backup to Philip Rivers last year when Whisenhunt was the team’s offensive coordinator, so there is some familiarity there, but is Whisenhunt disappointed with the play of Mettenberger to date?
"“There are times he struggles with some things, which is not uncommon for a young player,” Whisenhunt said. “He has done a good job, and he has made some plays. … He has a good pocket presence, and he has made some accurate throws. … He is taking advantage of his opportunities to improve, which is good to see.”"
The best-case scenario for the Titans is that Mettenberger doesn’t need to play this year because that means Locker has been healthy and effective.
Even if he’s not the quarterback of the present, there is a solid chance based on the early reviews he could be the quarterback of the future depending on whether they re-sign Locker or not.