HEADLINES

Marcus Mariota

Titans Did Not Consider Colin Kaepernick

October 4th, 2017 at 3:49pm CST by Zachary Links

With Marcus Mariota dealing with a hamstring injury, the Titans signed veteran quarterback Brandon Weeden. The move raised some eyebrows around the football world since Weeden is the latest middle-of-the-road signal caller to get an opportunity ahead of Colin Kaepernick. Apparently, Kaepernick wasn’t even considered. Colin Kaepernick (vertical)

[RELATED: Raiders Have Not Considering Kaepernick Either]

Coach Mike Mularkey told reporters on Wednesday that he wasn’t aware of any conversations about signing Kaepernick (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe). The justification is in line with what we’ve heard before from other teams, both on and off the record. Kaepernick, he said, is not familiar with the Titans’ type of offense while Weeden offers familiarity with a similar system thanks to his time in Houston and Dallas.

Weeden auditioned alongside Matt Barkley, Matt McGloin, and T.J. Yates on Tuesday and turned in the best performance of the quartet. He has not appeared in a real NFL game since 2015.

The Raiders, who will be without Derek Carr for some time, also did not consider Kaepernick.

Mariota practiced for the Titans on Wednesday, but he was limited. He is considered day-to-day as the Titans prepare for their Week 5 contest against the Dolphins.

Titans QB Marcus Mariota Day-To-Day

October 2nd, 2017 at 2:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

An MRI revealed that Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has a strained hamstring and is now day-to-day, head coach Mike Mularkey told reporters, including Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (Twitter links) and veteran NFL reporter Paul Kuharsky (Twitter links).Marcus Mariota (Vertical)

Mariota returned to Sunday’s contest following the initial hit that led to injury, and warmed up before the second half as if he planned to re-enter the game. But following discussions with the Titans’ staff, Mariota went to the locker room and didn’t re-appear on Tennessee’s sideline until the fourth quarter. With the Titans already down 30-14 at halftime, Mularkey decided not to risk further injury to Mariota.

If Mariota can’t play against the Dolphins in Week 5, the Titans would turn to veteran Matt Cassel, who completed only four of 10 attempts for 21 yards yesterday while tossing two interceptions. Per Mularkey, Tennessee’s passing attack will remain similar if Cassel is forced to start, but changes will be made to the run game. A decision on Mariota’s status may not be made until next Sunday morning.

The Titans only have two quarterbacks on their current roster, so Mularkey admitted the club could look to add a third signal-caller. Practice squader Tyler Ferguson would be an obvious candidate for promotion, but the 2017 undrafted free agent doesn’t have any NFL experience.

Titans QB Marcus Mariota To Undergo MRI

October 1st, 2017 at 5:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After leaving today’s loss to the Texans, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of his hamstring injury, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. Sources in the Tennessee lock room expressed “optimism” that Mariota will return to action quickly, as Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com tweets.Marcus Mariota (Vertical)

Mariota returned to Sunday’s contest following the initial hit that led to injury, and warmed up before the second half as if he planned to re-enter the game. But following discussions with the Titans’ staff, Mariota went to the locker room and didn’t re-appear on Tennessee’s sideline until the fourth quarter, per Wyatt. With the Titans already down 30-14 at halftime, head coach Mike Mularkey decided not to risk further injury to Mariota.

“He wanted to see if he could play,” Mularkey said, referring to Mariota. “He came out, warmed up and I said to him: ‘I’d like to be smart about it. There’s a lot of football still to go. We have 12 games to go, so let’s be smart about it. I’ll know more about the extent of it (later).”

Following today’s 54-17 defeat, the Titans now stand at 2-2, tied with the Jaguars and Texans for first place in the AFC South (pending a result in the Colts’ Sunday night contest). Mariota, for his part, has played well thus far in 2017, as he’d completed 60% of his passes for 696 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception heading into Week 4. He ranks eighth among NFL quarterbacks in adjusted net yards per attempt, and has also added 77 yards and one score on the ground.

Matt Cassel replaced Mariota in today’s loss, and completed nearly as many passes to the Texans as he did to Titans wide receivers. On 10 attempts, Cassel managed only four completions for 21 yards while tossing two interceptions. He’d start for Tennessee against Miami next week if Mariota can’t go, while practice squad quarterback Tyler Ferguson would presumably be promoted to the active roster.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Mariota, Vikings

June 28th, 2017 at 6:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest on a pair of NFC franchises:

  • Philadelphia was reportedly aggressive in trying to trade up to No. 2 in the 2015 draft to land quarterback Marcus Mariota, who played under then-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly at Oregon in 2012. But Kelly shot that down in a discussion with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, revealing that talks didn’t go anywhere because Tennessee wasn’t interested in moving the pick (via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). “That’s all speculation that’s out there, you hear stories that ‘we offered this, we offered that,” said Kelly. “We didn’t offer anything because they weren’t taking any offers for it.” Unable to move up 18 spots to land Mariota, the Eagles ultimately stayed at No. 20 and selecting wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who has disappointed in the NFL. Kelly didn’t even finish out the 2015 season with the Eagles, who fired him prior to Week 17 and then went on to select a different potential franchise signal-caller, Carson Wentz, after moving up to No. 2 overall (by way of a trade with the Browns) in 2016.
  • Just over a month after signing running back Latavius Murray in free agency, presumably to start, the Vikings selected ex-Florida State rusher Dalvin Cook in the second round of the draft. Murray addressed that Wednesday, telling NFL Network (per Kevin Patra of NFL.com): “I was home, watching the draft — I try to keep up regardless, just with the game itself. So they draft him. It wasn’t a surprise. When you see a guy, again, first-round potential sitting there in the second round, they snatch him up, you can’t be surprised. It motivates me regardless, because they’re always going to bring in somebody to take over for your position.” Even with Cook in the fold, Murray expects to rack up the lion’s share of the Vikings’ rushing attempts in 2017, and the ex-Raider plans to mentor the younger back. “As I said, MJD [Maurice Jones-Drew], Darren McFadden, Marcel Reece, those guys did everything they could to try and help me be a better player, and I’m going to do the same for Dalvin,” Murray noted. “Again, it’s going to come down to who is going to be the best player that can play. Because I give Dalvin knowledge and try to help him, doesn’t mean, OK, that I shouldn’t go out there and outperform him and outcompete.”
  • The Vikings believe they may have a steal on their hands in another newcomer, defensive tackle Will Sutton, suggests Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. Sutton, whom the NFC North rival Bears cut in May and who signed with the Vikings a week later, wasn’t playing in an ideal scheme in Chicago, according to Minnesota’s brass. “We felt like when [the Bears] went to a 3-4, it was probably not a real good fit for him,” said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. “His game is based on quickness and acceleration and penetration, so we’ve kind of had our eye on him for a while.” Pro Football Focus disagrees with Zimmer, for what it’s worth, as the outlet gave Sutton easily the best grade of his three-year career last season. He posted poor marks over the two prior seasons, though, including a rookie campaign (2014) spent in a 4-3.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/16

December 27th, 2016 at 7:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A rundown of Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Jake Kumerow, LB Trevor Roach

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

San Diego Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Marcus Mariota Fractures Fibula

December 24th, 2016 at 3:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans could not inch closer to a playoff spot after a Week 16 blowout loss in Jacksonville, and the team received rough news postgame. Marcus Mariota fractured his right fibula, said Mike Mularkey before adding, “Obviously, he is out.”

Mariota will miss the rest of the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will make Matt Cassel the Titans’ starter in what could be a Week 17 game for a playoff spot. Cassel came in for Mariota after the seminal second-half sequence that featured the second-year starter carted off the field.

Tennessee rode into playoff contention down the stretch behind a strong running game, an improved defense and a developing Mariota, who won five more games as a starter than he did as a rookie. The 2014 Heisman Trophy recipient finishes his season with 26 touchdown passes compared to just nine interceptions. Mariota also rushed for a career-high 346 yards and scored two touchdowns.

A Sheldon Day sack resulted in the cart-off sequence, and it will signal an offseason for the Titans’ cornerstone player geared around rehab. Mariota finished last season on IR, missing Tennessee’s final three games. However, those contests came for a team that ultimately went 3-13 and secured the No. 1 pick.

Tennessee’s Week 17 game against Houston could be for the division title, but after this loss, that will only come if the Texans lose to the Bengals tonight. The Colts finishing in a three-way tie would also doom the Titans, who are 1-4 in AFC South play.

Cassel looks set to make a start for a fifth NFL team in the past four years and sixth overall. He went 1-6 as a Cowboys starter last season. The 34-year-old passer signed a one-year deal in March to back up Mariota.

Marcus Mariota Likely Out For Season

December 21st, 2015 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

3:26pm: Speaking today to reporters, Titans head coach Mike Mularkey confirmed that Mariota will miss Week 16, but didn’t rule him out for Week 17, suggesting he would be re-evaluated next week. Mularkey added that if there are any issues with Mariota’s knee, he’ll be held out of the season finale, and it’s hard to imagine the Titans bringing him back for that game, with little to play for the rest of the way (all Twitter links via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com).

2:21pm: Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has sprained his MCL for the second time this season, and will miss the final two weeks of the year, according to multiple reports. It’s a right knee injury this time for Mariota, who hurt his left knee earlier in the season.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that Mariota’s sprained knee might result in Zach Mettenberger starting the rest of the way for Tennessee, with Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link) and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link) confirming that the second overall pick isn’t expected to play again in 2015.

With Mettenberger on track to start the Titans’ final two games, the team will certainly bring in another quarterback to back him up, since he and Mariota are currently the only two on the roster. Tennessee had been carrying Charlie Whitehurst on its roster, but he was cut in November and landed with the division-rival Colts, so he’s no longer in play.

While adding an outside free agent – or a player from another practice squad – will be one option for the Titans, the team is also carrying Mike Kafka on the practice squad, so he’s a candidate for a promotion.

Injury Updates: McCoy, Mariota, Albert

December 20th, 2015 at 9:20pm CST by Rob DiRe

We’ll keep track of the latest injury news here, with the newest updates added to the top of the list…

  • While Albert should be fine after suffering a knee injury during the loss in San Diego, Dolphins center Mike Pouncey wasn’t so lucky. He left the game with his foot stabilized in a boot, and he will be out for the remainder of the season, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

Earlier Updates

  • LeSean McCoy‘s knee injury appears to be a minor MCL sprain, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter). He is expected to be listed day-to-day by the Bills.
  • Marcus Mariota will have an MRI on Monday after injuring his knee against the Patriots, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The Titans believe he suffered an MCL injury. With Zach Mettenberger the only other passer on the roster, Tennessee will likely add a quarterback this week.
  • Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert left the game with a knee injury, and Dallas Thomas was exploited replacing him, according to James Walker of ESPN (via Twitter). With Thomas struggling, the Dolphins will need to make a move if if they want to give any chance to Ryan Tannehill and the offense.
  • Another big name left tackle went down with an injury in the Seahawks’ Russell Okung, who was doubtful to return with a calf injury, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
  • 49ers running back Shaun Draughn exited the game with a knee injury, according to Eric Branch (via Twitter). Draugn has been the leading ball-carrier for the 49ers the last five games after being acquired from Cleveland. With Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush already out, the 49ers will have to dig deep on the roster to find a new starting running back.

AFC South Notes: Texans, Titans, Mariota

November 6th, 2015 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Through eight weeks of the NFL season, AFC South teams have a combined 9-21 record, with five of those wins coming in intra-divisional contests. The dismal division-wide performance has Texans owner Bob McNair looking at the silver lining of Houston’s disappointing first half as his team heads into its bye week, writes Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com.

“We knew our offense was not going to be a high-powered offense, but we felt our defense would be one of the top-five defenses, and we’ve been far from that,” McNair said, speaking to KRIV and the Houston Chronicle. “The good news is that this is a new season, and we’re tied for first. The Colts have to play Denver next week, and we might be in first place by ourselves.”

As the Texans hope that a week off will move them into the AFC South’s top spot, let’s check on a few more items from across the division….

  • Titans wide receiver Harry Douglas has nothing but positive things to say about new interim head coach Mike Mularkey, telling Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com that the former Falcons offensive coordinator is one of the main reasons he signed with Tennessee.
  • Mularkey got some good news as he prepares for his first game as the Titans‘ head coach, telling reporters today that Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback this week for the club (Twitter link via Wyatt).
  • Here’s one more from Wyatt, who spoke to Titans GM Ruston Webster about Mularkey, former head coach Ken Whisenhunt, and retooling Tennessee’s offensive line, among other topics.
  • A Sunday date with Peyton Manning and the Broncos is right around the corner for the Colts, so Mike Wells of ESPN.com revisits Indianapolis’ decision to part ways with Manning three years ago, concluding it remains the right call for the franchise.
  • The city of Jacksonville and Jaguars owner Shad Khan have announced $90MM in planned upgrades for EverBank Field, according to an Associated Press report.

AFC South Notes: Grigson, Mariota, Titans

October 23rd, 2015 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Colts GM Ryan Grigson could be on the hot seat alongside coach Chuck Pagano, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The criticism for Grigson, Cole says, has been primarily about player acquisitions, including the trade for Trent Richardson and the selection of first-round pick Bjoern Werner.

There have also been grumbling within the organization about Grigson’s meddling in the team’s day-to-day operations, according to Cole, who wonders whether Grigson could get pushed aside or pushed out altogether if Colts owner Jim Irsay goes after a high-end coach like a Nick Saban or a Sean Payton.

Here’s more from around the AFC South:

  • The Titans announced today that Marcus Mariota is making some progress, but isn’t ready to start on Sunday, meaning Zach Mettenberger will get the call against Atlanta (all Twitter links via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com). As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com observes (via Twitter), a strong showing in Mariota’s absence could give Mettenberger a better chance to play for another team in 2016, since it would boost his trade value.
  • Free agent defensive lineman Christo Bilukidi has a workout lined up with the Titans next Tuesday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Bilukidi, who worked out for the Vikings earlier this week, was drafted by the Raiders in 2012 and has seen action for Oakland, Cincinnati, and Baltimore since then.
  • One more Titans note: Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link) expects wide receiver Rico Richardson to be promoted from the team’s practice squad, with Harry Douglas out this week. Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com agrees, tweeting that tight end Chase Coffman and running back Terrance West are candidates to be cut.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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