Fansided

3 NFL players facing make-or-break seasons in 2019

By Jordan Foote

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 23: Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 23: Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

2. Marcus Mariota

The Tennessee Titans have finished with a 9-7 record in three consecutive seasons. That’s only been good enough to qualify for the playoffs in one of those three years. In their first campaign under head coach Mike Vrabel, the Titans fielded one of the more impressive defenses in the league, but couldn’t support it with a quality offense.

A large chunk of that blame falls on quarterback Marcus Mariota. A former second overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, the 25-year-old hasn’t thrown for more than 13 touchdowns since his sophomore season. Recording just 13 starts in 2018, Mariota’s health continued to be a bit of a concern. He’s capable of playing through a minor injury, but missing nine of 64 possible starts (14 percent) thus far in his career isn’t a great ratio.

A threat to take off and run for a big gain at any moment, Mariota’s athletic ability makes him a fun quarterback to watch. With that said, he’s combined for 24 passing touchdowns in the past two seasons combined. 13 signal-callers topped that figure in 2018 alone.

The former Oregon standout is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Although the newly-acquired Ryan Tannehill is only on a one-year deal, the mere presence of him in the quarterback room should bring out the best in Mariota. Should Mariota either falter on the field or miss time due to injury, that could spell out the writing on the wall in regards to his time in Tennessee.