Tennessee Titans: Taylor Lewan suspension would be awful for Marcus Mariota
Tennessee Titans starting left tackle Taylor Lewan may be suspended to start the 2019 season, which would be bad news for Marcus Mariota.
Despite making noted improvements to their roster and being a 2017 playoff team and fringe postseason squad in 2018, there isn’t much talk about the Tennessee Titans. If you do hear anything about the Titans, it’s likely about whether or not Marcus Mariota will earn a new contract as he’s set to play out the final year of his rookie deal. Having left tackle Taylor Lewan would certainly help that cause but that’s apparently in jeopardy.
Lewan broke news on his own on Wednesday, saying that he is potentially facing a four-game suspension for failing a drug test this offseason. A suspension is not definitive yet because, as noted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the failed test was the offensive lineman’s “A” sample and the results for the “B” sample have not yet come back.
If the “B” sample does come back and match the same failed test from the “A” sample, then Lewan will be absent for the Titans’ first four games of the season (at Cleveland, vs. Indianapolis, at Jacksonville, at Atlanta). As such, Titans fans and Mariota alike should be waiting for those results with bated breath.
As stated, Mariota is facing a crucial year in his career. Since being selected second overall in the 2015 draft, the former Oregon quarterback has experienced an up and down career, one also marred by injuries and missed games. What can definitively be said is that the quarterback has not definitively shown he can be a franchise signal-caller in Tennessee.
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For Mariota, that’s what the 2019 season is all about — proving to general manager Jon Robinson and the Titans front office that he is that player. And while it would only be for four games, proving that without Lewan on the field is a monumentally more difficult task than if the All-Pro caliber tackle weren’t missing time.
Though he may be overlooked at times, there’s no denying the talent of Lewan at offensive tackle. He plays the game with a fierce mentality and tremendous effectiveness. There is rarely a worry in either the pass or run game that pressure is going to be coming at the fault of Lewan. Having that in the offense is a tremendously valuable commodity.
Without him on the field, though, the Titans take a severe step back at the position. While a player such as Dennis Kelly is a veteran with experience, he’s not a top-tier player like Lewan. And not only does that immediately downgrade the protection up front but it puts Mariota in an even tougher position.
Mariota needs to be clicking on all cylinders in the 2019 season to earn a new contract. That’s a much more difficult task if he’s facing more pressure than normal. Moreover, Mariota has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, which also comes into play when he’s seeing more pressure to start the season.
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As of right now, we’re in wait-and-see mode with Lewan. Perhaps the “B” sample comes back and he’s cleared and takes the field in Weeks 1-4. However, the looming possibility that he is suspended is awful news for Mariota that makes and already arduous season for the quarterback even more so.