The battle for the backup quarterback role with the Tennessee Titans is over before it ever began after the team waived Zach Mettenberger on Monday, just two years after he was selected in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Mettenberger officially hit the waiver wire Tuesday, and the San Diego Chargers were quick to claim him.
Chargers claim Zach Mettenberger after he was waived by Titans
Mettenberger started 10 games with the Titans in two seasons, but was waived on Monday, and the Chargers claimed him off waivers on Tuesday.
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Mettenberger, 24, suffered a torn ACL in the final regular season game of his senior season at LSU, but recovered to contribute as a rookie for the Titans in 2014. He started in six games with eight touchdowns, seven interceptions and an 83.4 passer rating, but posted an 0-6 record as a starter during Tennessee’s 2-14 season.
The bad year for the Titans put the team in position to select Marcus Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft. Injuries to Mariota allowed Mettenberger to get more game action in his second season, but he wasn't as successful as he was during his rookie season, finishing 0-4 in four starts with four touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Matt Cassel signed a one-year deal with the Titans in March that presumably set up a battle to back up Mariota, along with Alex Tanney, but Mettenberger is out of the competition after just a few offseason workouts.
Mettenberger still has two more seasons left on the four-year, $2.345 million rookie contract he received in 2014.
In San Diego, Mettenberger will reunite with Ken Whisenhunt, who was his head coach in Tennessee and is now the offensive coordinator for the Chargers. It’s very unlikely the Chargers see Mettenberger as anything more than a backup, but he’ll have an opportunity to compete with Kellen Clemens and Mike Bercovici for the second-string role behind Philip Rivers. Bryn Renner, who had also been in the running for the backup job, was waived after the Chargers picked up Mettenberger.
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