Titans Tried To Trade Zach Mettenberger
- Titans GM Jon Robinson confirmed that he tried to trade Zach Mettenberger before waiving him. “There were a lot of teams we touched base with over the course of the draft weekend that had interest in Zach, and a lot of those teams ended up selecting quarterbacks at some point in the draft,’’ Robinson said (via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online). “For whatever reason those discussions never really manifested, or culminated into anything.”
Jack Conklin Working Out At LT, RT
- First-round pick Jack Conklin is working at both left and right tackle in his early days with the Titans, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com writes. Conklin is projected to start at right tackle this season, but he could also be the team’s top option in the event that left tackle Taylor Lewan gets hurt. Conklin, taken with the No. 8 overall pick, played at right tackle in his first three games at Michigan State before moving to left tackle primarily.
Giants, Bengals Tried To Claim Mettenberger
The Chargers claimed Zach Mettenberger off waivers on Tuesday, but two other teams also tried to land the quarterback. The Giants and the Bengals also put in claims, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, but the Chargers had higher priority on the waiver wire. 
The Giants’ depth chart at quarterback has gone largely untouched for the last few years with Ryan Nassib backing up Eli Manning. Had the Giants successfully claimed him, Mettenberger could have competed with B.J. Daniels for the No. 3 spot on the team’s depth chart. The Giants’ real motive in making a play for Mettenberger could have been to give themselves insurance in case they did not re-sign Nassib following his contract year in 2016. Mettenberger potentially could have allowed the Giants to entertain trade options for Nassib as well.
The Bengals also appear to be pretty set at quarterback with Andy Dalton as starter and A.J. McCarron – a capable backup – slotted in as his understudy. McCarron completed 66.4% of his passes last season, throwing six touchdown passes compared to two interceptions in three starts in relief of Andy Dalton. Teams inquired on the Alabama product over the offseason and while head coach Marvin Lewis said that he was not interested in trading him, owner Mike Brown did not rule it out. It’s possible that the Bengals were curious to see if Mettenberger could have performed well enough over the summer to make them comfortable enough to move McCarron. Or, maybe they were only looking to put some additional competition for the No. 3 spot alongside with Keith Wenning and undrafted rookie Joe Licata.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/16
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- The Steelers have brought back tight end David Johnson, who was with Pittsburgh from 2009-13 after it took him in the seventh round of the ’09 draft (Twitter link via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Johnson, who has 24 career receptions, spent the previous two seasons in San Diego. To make room for Johnson, the Steelers cut fellow tight end David Reeves, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Reeves, an undrafted free agent from Duke, signed with the Steelers last month.
- Just days after signing with the Titans as an undrafted free agent, cornerback/kick returner Morgan Burns has retired, writes The Associated Press. Burns, a former Kansas State speedster, was the Big 12 special teams player of the year in 2015.
- The Panthers have claimed tight end Marcus Lucas off waivers from the Bears, David Newton of ESPN reports. Lucas is familiar with Carolina, having spent the 2014 season on its practice squad. The former undrafted free agent from Missouri has yet to appear in an NFL game.
- The Jaguars signed offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach and cut kicker Jaden Oberkrom, according to ESPN’s Mike DiRocco. Linkenbach has 86 appearances and 36 starts to his name. Ten of those appearances came when Linkenbach was a member of both the Dolphins and Chargers last year. Oberkrom had a brief stint in Jacksonville, which signed the ex-TCU standout as an undrafted free agent earlier this month.
Earlier updates:
- The Eagles announced that they have signed tight end M.J. McFarland and linebacker Ty Powell while waiving quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and offensive lineman Brett Boyko, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The addition of Powell means that the Eagles now have four players from the Buffalo’s 2014 defense on their roster. Jim Schwartz, of course, served as the defensive coordinator of that team.
- The Buccaneers announced that they have signed A.J. Francis, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com writes. The defensive tackle now joins his fourth team after beginning his career in Miami and later seeing time in Seattle and New England. To make room, second-year defensive tackle Davon Coleman has been waived.
- Former Texans first-round pick Amobi Okoye has signed with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. The defensive tackle was stricken with a rare illness, which seemingly ended his career in 2012. He hooked on with the Cowboys last season, but he was released before he could take the field.
- Washington has signed tryout cornerback Mariel Cooper, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com tweets.
- The Ravens announced that cornerback Sheldon Price, an ERFA, has agreed to his one-year contract with the team. Price, who went undrafted out of UCLA in 2013, previously spent time on the Colts’ taxi squad.
Chargers Claim Zach Mettenberger, Waive Bryn Renner
4:02pm: The Chargers waived Renner in order to make room for Mettenberger, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).
3:16pm: The Chargers have claimed Zach Mettenberger off waivers from the Titans, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The quarterback was with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt last year in Tennessee. 
As of this writing, the Chargers have three quarterbacks under contract behind Philip Rivers: Kellen Clemens, Bryn Renner, and rookie Mike Bercovici. Bercovici, an undrafted rookie out of Arizona State, could be the odd man out now that Mettenberger has arrived. In the longer-term, Mettenberger have to compete in order to make the roster in San Diego and displace Renner or Clemens.
Mettenberger was once viewed as the Titans’ potential signal caller of the future, but that was before Marcus Mariota came into the picture. When the Titans used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft to tab the Oregon standout, Mettenberger’s future in Tennessee became murky. Now, he’ll try and forge a different path in San Diego.
Mettenberger, 24, was a sixth-round pick of the Titans in the 2014 draft. In his rookie season, Mettenberger saw time in seven games (six starts) and threw for eight touchdowns with seven interceptions. Not long ago, Mettenberger probably would have fetched a lower-round draft pick in a trade. However, the Titans likely shopped the QB around in recent days without finding a taker.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Justify Releasing Zach Mettenberger
- The Titans released Zach Mettenberger today in order to give him a chance to do his OTAs and minicamp with a team and learn their system, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
[SOURCE LINK]
Titans Waive Zach Mettenberger
The Titans have waived quarterback Zach Mettenberger, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online (via Twitter).
Mettenberger was once viewed as the team’s potential signal caller of the future, but that was before Marcus Mariota came into the picture. When the Titans used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft to tab the Oregon standout, Mettenberger’s future in Tennessee became murky. Now, he’s free to pursue a starting job elsewhere.
Mettenberger, 24, was a sixth-round pick of the Titans in the 2014 draft. In his rookie season, Mettenberger saw time in seven games (six starts) and threw for eight touchdowns with seven interceptions. Not long ago, Mettenberger probably would have fetched a lower-round draft pick in a trade. However, the Titans likely shopped the QB around in recent days without finding a taker.
With Mettenberger out of the picture, the Titans now have quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Alex Tanney behind Mariota.
In addition to Mettenberger, the Titans have waived defensive end Iosia Iosia, tight end Kevin Greene, and wide receiver Rashon Ceaser (link). The Titans have signed four rookies from their tryouts (link): fullback Sam Bergen, wide receiver Ben Roberts, defensive end Mike Smith, and cornerback Bennett Okotcha.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Sign Morgan Burns
- The Titans also agreed to terms with an UDFA, signing Kansas State cornerback Morgan Burns, tweets Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. Burns, who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, is expected to make his mark as a kick returner, according to his NFL.com draft profile.
Details On Delanie Walker's Extension
- Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link) has some additional details on Delanie Walker‘s new contract with the Titans. The tight end dropped his base salary in 2016 from $4.275MM to $2.7MM. He’ll have base salaries of $4.2MM in 2017 and $5.4MM in 2018.
Titans Sign Sebastian Tretola
- The Titans have agreed to terms with sixth-round guard Sebastian Tretola, the 193th overall pick out of Arkansas, writes Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. Tretola, the seventh of 10 Tennessee draftees to sign, is in line for a four-year contract worth $2.473MM, with a signing bonus of nearly $133K, per Over the Cap.