Tennessee Titans Jake Locker 2015 Free Agent Profile

The Tennessee Titans seem ready to give Zach Mettenberger a crack at the starting job entering the 2015 season after the LSU product exceeded expectations as a rookie, bringing some semblance of excitement to the Titans offense, along with fellow rookie Bishop Sankey. Mettenberger has questions related to his consistency, accuracy, and decision-making, but he might already be one of the league’s better deep passers. Jake Locker used to be the Titans strong-armed, high-upside quarterback, but Mettenberger’s emergence as an option leaves Locker as someone who will almost certainly depart in free agency.

New Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt essentially gave up on Locker mid-season, though the former Washington QB was re-inserted as the starter at the end of the year due to an injury to Mettenberger. Of course, it wasn’t long before Locker suffered yet another injury, and his inability to stay healthy almost matches his inability to post a league-average completion percentage.

Locker is one of the most inconsistent quarterbacks in the NFL, but he could still find himself in a position to compete for a starting job this offseason despite his accuracy issues, questionable decision-making, and major injury concerns. He showed some level of growth in 2013 before his season ended prematurely, as he completed at least 60% of his passes and put up an 86.7 QB Rating for what was the only league-average season of his career.

NJ.com’s Mark Eckel recently reported that the Philadelphia Eagles could take a flier on Locker this offseason, as Chip Kelly might be intrigued by the quarterback’s arm strength, running ability, size, and raw upside. That said, Locker will be 27 before the season starts, so any team that signs him with the intent of molding him would have a lot to iron out.

Kelly has gotten the most out of Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez, but those two are more accurate passers who would do a better job of distributing the ball to the Eagles multitude of weapons. Locker’s benefits are the fact that his rushing ability and arm strength bring added dimensions to the offense, but the Eagles strength is in their weapons and those guys are at their best when they have a QB who can get them the ball in space.

The most troubling aspect of Locker’s play is his regression during Whisenhunt’s time as the head coach last season, though it is fair to say that the new HC didn’t do him any favors. Still, throwing an interception on 4.8% of your pass attempts while completing just 58.9% of your passes won’t get you much love on the open market, and Locker is lucky that there’s such a dearth of quarterback options this season.

See, the fact that a team like the Buffalo Bills could show interest in him as competition illustrates just how difficult it will be for teams to find credible options on the free agent market. If Cleveland Browns signal-caller Brian Hoyer decides not to stay with his team, then the Browns replace another team as a potential suitor for Locker.

Teams are attracted to former first-round picks who can get a second chance with their organization, especially if they have the kind of physical tools that a coaching staff thinks they can mold. There will be someone out there who thinks they can fix Locker, even if that wasn’t Whisehunt’s view on the matter, as preferred to roll with his own guy from the late rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Locker played reasonably well in 2013 and has shown that he can bring some playmaking ability to an offense, but he lacks the traits that are most important at the quarterback position. He doesn’t move the ball with consistency, he’s one of the league’s most inaccurate quarterbacks, and he doesn’t take care of the ball. A coach like Kelly in that explosive offense could coax a quality season out of him, but Locker is the most basic free agent option for a team like that, especially considering the playoff aspirations that the Eagles have.

Nov 9, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (10) warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

I wouldn’t rule them out as a suitor, but competing for the Eagles job is the best-case scenario for Jake Locker, who won’t be handed the keys to anybody’s offense. He’ll have to compete in an all-out battle, but there’s no doubt that his draft pedigree and skill-set will net him a contract somewhere. Multiple years and decent money will be more difficult to come by, but he has the advantage of hitting the open market when decent quarterback options are in short supply.

There’s little doubt that the Tennessee Titans will let him go, since they don’t have a place for him. Mettenberger is someone they want to roll with, they could always draft a top QB this year, and they have a more steady backup in Charlie Whitehurst. Locker’s injuries prevent him from becoming a legit backup, since you could easily be down to your third-stringer with how often he misses games (he’s played in just seven in back-to-back seasons and has been injured four times in that span).

I used to be high on Locker coming out of college, and I thought that the Titans would be able to get something out of him. That never happened, as Locker remains only slightly less raw than he was when he first entered the league. The fact that he has a chance to compete somewhere isn’t a reflection of his ability as a quarterback, but rather a reflection of the dearth of options.

He’s not a terrible QB by any means and is better than some people think, but he’s not a true stopgap due to his profile as a truly inconsistent passer.His injuries, poor completion percentages, and career 3.1% INT% paint the picture of someone who is too much of a work-in-progress at 27.

It would be interesting to see him land with a team like the Eagles, because maybe, just maybe, all those tools and upside will come to fruition with a top coach and top offense. Locker was once a promising quarterback, especially after his career-best 2013 season, but his horrific 2014 season is a reminder of how unreliable he is and how he fits in better as an “upside flier for competition”.

Next: Mock Draft: Titans take Leonard Williams

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