Zach Mettenberger could start if Jake Locker is out longer

The Tennessee Titans will start veteran backup Charlie Whitehurst, who hasn’t attempted a regular season pass since 2011, today against the rival Indianapolis Colts with Jake Locker out with a wrist injury. Locker was listed questionable on the injury report, but he was never expected to play despite head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s subtle attempts at trying to keep us guessing.

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According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the more experienced Whitehurst will be the Titans starter in Locker’s place if the former first-round pick’s injury is a short-term one, while LSU Tigers strong-armed rookie Zach Mettenberger would start if Locker’s wrist injury ends up being a long-term ailment.

Locker’s injury might only cost him one week, so the latter scenario is very unlikely at this point, though not impossible due to a relative lack of details at this moment in time. Mettenberger played in a pro-style offense under Cam Cameron at LSU last year, making great strides, but his decision-making skills are still clearly off, especially when he throws the deep ball. There’s little doubt that Mettenberger has plenty of arm talent, but he’s a statue in the pocket with only an average feel for the pass rush, and his accuracy is only decent. That said, he was fantastic in the preseason and still has plenty of developmental upside.

Ideally, the Titans won’t have t see what they have in Mettenberger until at least next season, and I highly doubt we see him out there at any point this year. Locker, however, has become an injury-prone player, so it’s best not to rule anything out yet.