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Tennessee Titans: Time To Move On From Chance Warmack

By John Laird

Aug 23, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) is congratulated by guard Chance Warmack (70) after completing a first down during the first half against the St. Louis Rams at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 23, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) is congratulated by guard Chance Warmack (70) after completing a first down during the first half against the St. Louis Rams at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Should the Tennessee Titans prepare to move on from Chance Warmack given his struggles and subsequent injury this season?

Chance Warmack’s season appears to be over. The fourth-year guard elected to get surgery on his middle finger. Yes, you read that right. A pro football player is sitting out with a finger injury. What has happened to the sport? According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the injury was actually sustained in warmups prior to Week 2 in Detroit.

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With that being said, Warmack’s 2016 season was off to a shaky start before this. According to Pro Football Focus, fellow offensive linemen Jack Conklin, Taylor Lewan, Ben Jones, and Quinton Spain have all graded out very well so far. Warmack’s play was graded about half as good. It’s apparent that Warmack was the weak-link up front. Moreover, there are questions about the team actually being better off with him being on IR rather than on the field.

Warmack’s future with the team was bleak well before this traumatic finger injury took place. That was made clear when the team decided to go against picking up his fifth-year option. With little production combined with the inability to stay on the field, Week 2 may have been the last we see of Warmack in a two-tone blue uniform.

It remains to be seen if one of the team’s recent acquisitions in Josh Kline or Dennis Kelly will slide into the now vacated spot consistently. The team also has rookie Sebastian Tretola waiting for his opportunity, who has shown to have quite a bit of a mean streak in the trenches.

Tretola is a player who I like a lot for what Tennessee is trying to accomplish offensively. If you want to dominate on the ground, you have to be nasty. But intelligent players on the inside of your offensive line are also a necessity. Ben Jones is the perfect example of just that.

It was Kline who got the nod against Oakland, but he too struggled in the position. Thus, you have to wonder if the rookie’s time is coming. For the first time in a long time, the team has an offensive line that can at least compete. If they can get the two guard spots situated, there’s no telling how far the big unit up front can take this offense.

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If none of those players pan out, the team will have options via free agency in March. Road graders like Kevin Zeitler of Cincinnati and Larry Warford of Detroit are both scheduled to hit the open market this offseason. Warford is a player worth keeping tabs on, especially if Mularkey remains the man in charge. He could be a great fit for the ‘exotic smash-mouth’ offense that has been on display through the first two weeks of the regular season.

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