Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that the Titans have signed sixth-round pick QB Zach Mettenberger to a four-year contract.
- Wyatt adds that Mettenberger’s contract will include a $125,116 signing bonus.
Mettenberger reportedly “didn’t look — or feel — close to 100 percent” during his first practice this past week.
Mettenberger suffered a season-ending knee injury last year and is still sporting a brace on his surgically repaired left leg, which almost certainly impacted his performance.
“I am not moving as fluidly as I have in the past but I am working hard to get back there,” Mettenberger said on Friday. “Being in the brace for two months, trying to learn how to walk, you lose a lot of muscle. … I just have to keep working.”
It’s hard to expect a lot of him during OTAs and training camp given the severity of the injury he’s coming back from.
Former first-round pick Jake Locker is entering a make-or-break season as prepares to play out the final year of his rookie contract.
There is definitely a lot of uncertainty regarding the Titans long-term options at quarterback. Mettenberger would have been drafted much higher had he not suffered the knee injury, but there aren’t a lot of examples of teams grooming a sixth-round selection to take over as their starting quarterback.
I’m sure Mettenberger’s rookie season will be treated as a red-shirt year barring some injuries at quarterback.
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