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When Marcus Mariota was taken with the second overall pick of the NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans back in 2015, the expectation was that he would become a franchise quarterback.
That did not happen.
Mariota started four-and-a-half years in Tennessee before finally being displaced by Ryan Tannehill midway through 2019, and the Titans elected to part ways with him this past offseason.
The 26-year-old, who dealt with injury issues over his final couple of seasons in Tennessee, ended up signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, agreeing to become Derek Carr's backup.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mariota hasn't been able to do a whole lot over the summer, but Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is impressed with what he has seen from his new signal-caller:
“I’ve been impressed,” Gruden said, according to Kyle Martin of the Raiders' team website. “The number one thing with Marcus was to get healthy. He had a shoulder problem, an ankle problem, so it’s a real credit to him to get his injury rehab done during all of this social distancing. The distraction of finding a doctor, being safe, and he did a great job of getting himself healthy and learning the system.”
Mariota played in seven games and made six starts this past season, throwing for 1,203 yards, seven touchdowns and a pair of interceptions while completing 59.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 92.3.
The University of Oregon product actually got off to a strong start over his first two seasons with the Titans, totaling 45 touchdowns and 19 picks before the wheels began to come off in 2017.
