The Tennessee Titans announced Thursday that they have decided to make a change at the quarterback position and start the rookie out of LSU, Zach Mettenberger. Head coach Ken Wisenhunt informed the three quarterbacks on Tuesday at practice, but the move became known late Wednesday night, and was confirmed by the team on Thursday. Jake Locker has not played in the past two games due to a thumb injury and seemed set to return Sunday against the Texans, until coach Wisenhunt decided to go to the rookie quarterback. This seems to be the end for Jake Locker barring an injury to Zach Mettenberger, setting up an interesting situation for the franchise. The Titans will have nine more games this season to see what Mettenberger can do as the teams starting quarterback, before going into the offseason with a plan for the future at quarterback.
One of the biggest questions around this team has been the quarterback play and what to do from this moment on, and right now, the answer seems to be Mettenberger. This move was said to be made due to the performance of the quarterbacks on the field, in practice, and even in preseason so far this year. Mettenberger lead the NFL in preseason yards in 2014, and seemed to develop a great connection with second year wide receiver, Justin Hunter. Hunter is looking to have a much better second half to the season, as he has had an up and down regular season thus far. Coach Ken Wisenhunt has said that there seems to be nothing that can rattle the confidence of the rookie out of LSU, and he’s excited about Zach getting his shot to play.