Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger knew he had no future with the Titans. He now thinks he may have one with the Chargers.
“It was tough to be in Tennessee behind a guy like Marcus [Mariota], where there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel,” Mettenberger recently told his new team’s official website. “Being here has put the wind back in my sails.”
It’s a sensible position, given that Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is far closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Still, if all goes as planned, Mettenberger won’t be playing much during the final two years of a rookie contract claimed on waivers after the Titans parted ways with the 2014 sixth-rounder.
“I’m a tough, hard-nosed guy,” Mettenberger said. “I am going to try and do whatever I need to do to make this team better, whatever role that is. Whether that means being the backup or the third-string guy, I’ll do whatever they need me to do.”
One thing they’ll need him to do is play in Nashville when the Chargers face the Titans in the preseason.
“It will be a fun experience to head back there, stand on the opposing bench and get to play with it being an early preseason game,” Mettenberger said. “But I haven’t really thought about it much. I’m focused on getting [acclimated] here. It’s easier picking it back up having been around [offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt] before. I haven’t hit any walls with the playbook yet. Right now I’m just competing, trying to keep up with Philip, stay in his back pocket and learn as much as possible.”
One thing everyone learned recently is that demand for quarterbacks continues to outpace supply, given that the Bengals and Giants also tried to claim Mettenberger on waivers. At some point, he’ll get a chance to compete for a starting job, simply because there aren’t enough high-quality quarterbacks to go around.