Zach Mettenberger finishes rookie year outperforming expectations

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger became the starter in Week 8 after injuries and inconsistent play from former first-round pick Jake Locker, and Mettenberger has played well enough to deserve a shot at competing for the starting gig next season. While I still expect the Titans to go after a quarterback with what will be one of the top picks in the 2015 NFL Draft, the fact of the matter is that Mettenberger significantly outperformed expectations, and he played nearly as well as more touted rookie QBs Derek Carr and Teddy Bridgewater. That’s a big plus for a QB who showed some troubling decision-making issues in college, as well as statue-esque pocket presence.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Mettenberger will miss the rest of the season with a separated AC joint, and it forces the Titans to go back to Locker, which will likely allow them to secure an even higher pick in next year’s draft. Mettenbeger did a much better job of running the offense despite his lack of experience, and I was especially impressed by his ability to make big plays. Even though the Titans main playmaking wide receiver, Justin Hunter, is about as inconsistent as they come, Mettenberger’s arm strength made this offense more advanced, and he didn’t seem as flustered by the pressure as expected.

Although the Titans are planning an overhaul of their roster in the offseason, Mettenberger is one of the pieces that needs to stay, even if a starting gig isn’t guaranteed. Most sixth-round rookie quarterbacks struggle mightily in their first seasons, but the LSU product looked much more polished, especially considering the lack of help around him. A common thread among all the rookie quarterbacks is the fact that they still don’t have all the pieces they need to succeed, and Mettenberger’s situation isn’t any different.

Seven interceptions is a bit too much, but we knew Mettenberger would have decision-making issues, especially since he is an aggressive passer and showed decision-making issues in college. Guys like Hunter are also to blame, since he didn’t exactly do the best job of helping Mett avoid those kinds of passes. Mettenberger probably isn’t accurate enough to be a franchise quarterback, but his 7.9 yards per attempt show that he is indeed an intriguing option. At worst, Mettenberger is the second coming of Drew Stanton, which is to say that he would be a really nice backup in this league. At best, he’s the Titans answer at quarterback, and that’s something the Titans will need to figure out in 2015.

According to the Pro Football Focus, Mettenberger had the tenth-most accurate deep ball this season, and he, Carson Palmer, Aaron Rodgers, and Kyle Orton are the only QBs without an interception thrown on deep passes. Drops played a role in Mettenberger’s low completion percentage, but PFF takes drops into account. Mettenberger was still well below-average in the accuracy department when taking drops into account, so that’s something the Titans will have to fix going forward.

The inconsistent accuracy and decision-making were always expected traits for Mettenberger as a rookie, and he was never supposed to take the field in his first season. The fact that he managed to move an offense effectively speaks volumes to how much further along he is than we thought, and his yards per attempt average can’t be ignored. Consistency is more important than excitement when it comes to franchise quarterbacks, and there’s a high chance Mettenberger could simply be the next Brian Hoyer or Stanton as far as the caliber of a player goes.

But even if Mettenberger only ends up being on the Stanton level, that’s still excellent for the Titans organization. They took a flier on him in the sixth round with the hopes that he would be an intriguing backup, project player, and someone worth developing into a potential starter. The Titans never banked on Mettenberger being a franchise QB when taking him in the sixth, and that’s probably not where he will end up. That said, he could reach that precipice with further development, and it’s hard to definitively say that he can’t develop into one. I mean, the fact that there’s still a chance of him turning into a viable starting quarterback is a huge win for the Titans, because the price of a sixth-round pick isn’t much at all.

Mettenberger’s issues are clear, but it’s harder to project if he’ll be able to overcome them. Either way, his arm strength and ability to make plays with his arm talent have turned him into a intriguing player going forward, and this season-ending injury gives us one less reason to watch the Titans over the final three games of the regular season. That said, Zach Mettenberger is a reason to watch the Titans in the offseason and in 2015, because I think he will be given a fair shot in a competition with a new quarterback.

I have a strong feeling the Titans will draft a top QB in 2015, but I also have a feeling that Mettenberger has done enough to warrant further evaluation. I was never a fan of his in college, but he has trumped my expectations and finished with a semi-respectable 83.4 QB Rating. I still don’t think he’s a franchise guy, but he injected some life into the Titans and should be a nice backup for whomever the Titans choose to draft in 2015.

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