Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans
Jameis Winston is not the only quarterback who could be staring a change of scenery in the face. In fact, the passer selected right after him in the 2015 NFL Draft might be joining him in pricing movers in the next few days.
Marcus Mariota left the University of Oregon with a ton of potential, but a combination of injuries and inconsistent play followed his entire time in Tennessee with the Titans. Injuries were a big reason Mariota never seemed to put it all together. He missed four games during his rookie career due to a knee injury. The following year, which was arguably Mariota’s best season, Mariota’s 2016 campaign was cut short with a broken leg. In 2017, Mariota suffered a hamstring injury and while he only missed one game, his lower body mechanics seemed hampered all season and he struggled to generate consistent velocity. Then in 2018, Mariota dealt with nerve injuries in both his elbow and neck.
The quarterback was healthy at the start of 2019, but it was his ineffective play that sent him to the bench. On came Ryan Tannehill, and the magical carpet ride of the Titans’ season began in earnest.
Mariota has also been hampered by an almost revolving door of offensive coordinators. During his time with the Titans Mariota played for five different OCs, and any quarterback will likely struggle when trying to learn a new system year after year.
All of this makes Mariota a perfect candidate for a rebirth with a new organization. As argued previously, Mariota is perhaps an ideal candidate to push Mitchell Trubisky with the Chicago Bears next season. Matt Nagy simply needs a quarterback who will efficiently execute his offense, working through reads quickly and getting the ball out on time and in rhythm. Those are tasks that Trubisky has struggled with the past two seasons, and those are aspects to the position that Mariota can execute in the short- and intermediate-passing game.
Wherever he ends up, Mariota is surely a candidate for a strong second act.