NASHVILLE, Tenn. – At his weekly press conference Monday, Tennessee Titans coach Mike Mularkey announced that, after an MRI, quarterback Marcus Mariota is considered “day-to-day” with a hamstring injury he sustained in Sunday’s 57-14 divisional loss to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.
“He did have an MRI, and there is a strain of the hamstring,” Mularkey said of the third-year pro. “We will right now take it day to day. He is a pretty fast healer, and we’ll see where he is at and give you more information on Wednesday.”
The injury occurred in the second quarter of the eventual rout. Down 24-7, Mariota led a Tennessee offense that had been stagnant through most of the contest on a seven-play, 75-yard drive. At the start of the Two-Minute Warning, Mariota capitalized and ran in his second of two rushing scores from two yards out to bring his team within 10 points.
It was on that run that the hamstring strain occurred, according to Mularkey.
Nashville, TN – September 20,, 2017 – St. Thomas Sports Park – Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans addresses the media after practice (Photo by Buck Reising ESPN Nashville).
The Titans starting QB would return to the game on his team’s next possession with 1:19 left in the half but was picked off for the second time that day by former Vanderbilt safety Andre Hal (both by Hal) on a deep pass intended for Rishard Matthews.
Mularkey said Sunday in his post-game press conference that the injury contributed to the poor throw by Mariota and, after discussing it with his quarterback, the decision was made to let veteran backup Matt Cassel finish the game rather than risk further injury.
Cassel had a rough go of it off the bench, completing 4-of-10 passes for 21 yards with two interceptions (one that was returned for a touchdown) and a lost fumble.
“I say this about all these guys, with a variety of injuries, Mularkey said Monday when asked about the rash of recent hamstring problems on his team. “The hamstring, each guy is different. … I am going to take it day by day with Marcus and make sure we are smart with him. We’re not going to put him out there if he has any chance of doing further damage, we would not do that.”
Mariota becomes the fifth Titan this season to deal with some form of hamstring issue. Tight end Delanie Walker, running back DeMarco Murray, safety Johnathan Cyprien, and the team’s fifth-overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, wide receiver Corey Davis, have all had ailing hamstrings of varying severity.
The team moves forward into their preparation for another road trip this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins with Cassel as the starter. When asked if the team is considering adding another quarterback with known commodity Alex Tanney on injured reserve, Mularkey said that the Titans “are talking about” it.
Undrafted rookie Tyler Ferguson is also on the team’s practice squad.
If the Titans do decide to bring in an additional arm, here are the list of free agent quarterbacks who are currently unsigned, per spotrac:
NFL Free Agent Quarterbacks
- Colin Kaepernick, Age 29
- Robert Griffin III, Age 27
- Shaun Hill, Age 37
- Matt McGloin, Age 27
- Brandon Weedem, Age 33
- Luke McCown, Age 36
- Dan Orlovsky, Age 34
- Christian Ponder, Age 29
- Thaddeus Lewis, Age 29
- T.J. Yates, Age 30
- Zach Mettenberger, Age 26
- David Fales, Age 26
- Taylor Heinicke, Age 24
- Aaron Murray, Age 26
- Bruce Gradkowski, Age 34
- Dylan Thompson, Age 25
- Mike Bercovici, Age 24
- Charlie Whitehurst, Age 35
- Sean Renfree, Age 27
- Matt Simms, Age 28
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