In 2015, the Tennessee Titans selected Marcus Mariota at No. 2 overall to be their quarterback of the present and future. Now, just four years later, he's entering the most important year of his career. As a quarterback playing on the final year of his rookie season, the Oregon product must show the Titans what he hasn’t since being draft; consistency, and health.
Mariota, on several instances, has looked the part of a franchise quarterback. He’s a smart player that knows the ins-and-outs of the game, an excellent runner, and, though he doesn’t boast a rocket-arm, his accuracy and ball velocity are both strengths. Yet, he’s often been the catalyst of disappointment in Nashville.
Throughout Mariota's four-year career, he has dealt with as many injuries as great games. Although he’s never missed a full season, he’s left many games injured and sat out nine. So much so that SportsInjuryPredictor.com believes he has a 43.1% of re-injury in 2019.
But injuries aren’t the only thing halting Mariota’s quest for legitimacy. Time and time again, he’s played with a conservative mindset that, in turn, lead to subpar performances. Although much of that has to do with the play callers as the quarterback, Mariota has all-world talent that shouldn’t be masked with conservatism.
However, there is a grand caveat to Mariota’s inconsistency and not-yet franchise shot-caller status; the team around him. For far too long, Mariota has either played with ineffective skill position players or an easily beatable offensive line. Sometimes both.
In Mariota’s rookie season, his leading wide receivers consisted of Dorial Green-Beckham, Harry Douglass, and Kendall Wright. In the same season, his offensive line allowed a league-high 54 sacks. In the seasons after, the same lack of premier skill position players and blocking inconsistencies prevailed. It's a legitimate excuse for Mariota’s frustrating development. But, in 2019, Mariota doesn’t have that same excuse.
The Titans have appeared to have finally given the quarterback the offense he deserves. From offensive line to wide receivers, the team is stacked full of youth and veteran talent alike.
In 2019, Mariota will likely benefit from the most complete offensive line unit he's ever played with. Their newest addition, Rodger Saffold III, looks to be a big reason why as do the Titans, who gave him 4 years, $44 million to leave La La Land. To show how complete it is, let’s go through the starters with their 2018 Pro Football Focus grade and career games started in the NFL included.
- LT: Taylor Lewan, 76.4, 68
- LG: Rodger Saffold III, 72.8, 111
- C: Ben Jones, 69.8, 91
- RG: Kevin Pamphile, 52.0, 35
- RT: Jack Conklin, 66.8, 41
Aside from Pamphile, each o-lineman graded from “above average” to “good” on PFF’s scale. Included in favorable analytical grades is a combined 346 NFL starts and four Pro-Bowl nods between the five. Combine their experience, success in 2018, star power, and the Titans are slowly building one of the most complete lines in the league.
As for the backs running behind the line, the Titans have an excellent combination of power and quickness in Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis. But, the former will be their unquestioned leader on the ground. In his third season as a pro, the 6-foot-3, 247-pound back flourished — running for 1,059 yards and 12 touchdowns on a 4.9 YPC average in 2018. He tallied 585 of those yards and seven of the 12 touchdowns in the last four games of the season.
But you know what's just flat out absurd? This 99-yard touchdown run (including three stiff-arms(!)).
DERRICK HENRY WITH ONE OF THE BEST RUNS IN NFL HISTORY. https://t.co/KzJgD4Xmls
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) December 7, 2018
Despite the Titans pool of talent in the trenches and on the ground, the wide receiver corps is the most polarizing position group heading into 2019. Mariota, almost famously, has been given a bad hand by the Titans in terms of receiving talents. He's dealt with incorrectly run routes, drops, and lack of consistency over-and-over again. But, this year's group could very well buck that trend.
Heading into next season, the Titans are expected to have this talented group of receivers. (based on my eight-man projections):
- X-receiver: Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor, Darius Jennings
- Z-receiver: A.J. Brown, Tajae Sharp, Khalif Raymond
- Slot-receiver: Adam Humphries, Cameron Batson
With an average age of 23.8, the grouping above is one of the youngest in the NFL. It’s also one of the most promising. From top-to-bottom, the Titans have intrigue at the position, with three standouts — Corey Davis, A.J. Brown, and Adam Humphries.
No current Titans receiver has as much pure potential than Corey Davis. Drafted at No. 5 overall in 2017, Davis is the team’s plan at X-receiver, and for a good reason. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 209-pounds, he has an ideal frame, and though he didn’t perform at the combine or pro-day due to an ankle injury, he has the athleticism to supplement it.
But, more importantly than measurables and times, Davis also has the game to be a true No. 1 option. Coming out of Western Michigan, he was lauded due to possessing a full route-tree, large catch radius, and an NFL worthy well-rounded game But, he hasn’t quite put it all together — compiling 99 catches, 1,266 yards, and four touchdowns in two seasons of play.
However, he’s by no means a bust. We knew, coming from a smaller college, there would be a developmental curve going into the NFL. It's shown. But, at times, he’s also demonstrated mastery of that learning curve. He flashed that often in 2018; tallying 65 catches for 891 yards and four touchdowns on a 58% catch rate.
https://twitter.com/averydduncan/status/1133928855885033472
But, the potential doesn’t end at Davis. Rookie A.J. Brown surprisingly slid to the Titans’ laps at No. 51 overall, and he may make 31 NFL teams regret it. The Ole Miss product was often phrased as the most complete receiver heading into the draft, particular as a big slot. At 6-foot and 226-pounds, his frame is solid, as for his athleticism, he recorded a 4.49 second 40-yard-dash and 36.5-inch vertical at the combine.
Brown’s game can best be compared to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s. Like the Steeler standout, he's not a burner, yet, he's exceptionally productive after the catch. But, he's as equally impressive before and after the catch. His route-tree is complete, his hands are sure, and his release techniques are creative, albeit, a bit all over the place.
Despite Brown being touted as an ideal big slot, he won’t be playing in the inside for the Titans. His versatility will call for a switch to the outside as he will surely cede slot snaps to Adam Humphries.
Humphries was a pricey get for the Titans in free agency (4 years, $36 million). But, an invaluable one. The Clemson product has a horizontal route-running game perfect for the slot with the YAC abilities to boot. In 2018, for the Buccanneers, that showed. He racked up 76 catches for 816 yards and four touchdowns primarily out of the slot. For the Titans, he will be Mariota's much-needed “safety valve” over the middle of the field.
The results of the Titans’ offensive rebuild is a promising, versatile receiving corps that can match their strong tight end group, led by Delanie Walker. In an ideal world, their new-look receivers will co-exist with newly hired offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, offensive line, and running game to create a potent offensive attack. But, none of that happens if Mariota doesn't perform, making 2019 an inexcusable make-or-break season for the quarterback. Unless, of course, he gets injured again.
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