The Tennessee Titans have done their best since the closing of the 2014-15 NFL season to spread the word through backchannels that they're more than happy to take the field next year with quarterback Zach Mettenberger as their starter and field general.
According to at least one NFL analyst though, that simply isn't the case.
"I don't think the Titans are sold on Zach Mettenberger and I think they want to come away with a QB in the draft," NFL Network reporter Albert Breer said, per Walter Football.
The Titans, currently slated to select at No. 2-overall in the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft, have been linked to any number of prospects and potential trades in recent weeks.
The No. 2 slot is widely viewed as the logical landing spot for former Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy-winner, Marcus Mariota, whether it be the Titans that select him or another team with a glaring need at signal-caller desperate enough to pony up the ample trade capital to do a deal with Tennessee and move up - teams like the Chargers, Eagles and Browns.
Still, at this late date in the pre-draft process, many, including Breer and the oddsmakers in Las Vegas, believe that the Titans are still the most likely candidates to wind up with Mariota later this month.
According to the sports betting website Sportsbook.ag, the Titans, at 7/5, are the odds-on favorites to land the dual threat quarterback and really, when considering the other options facing the Titans, it only makes sense.
No, Mariota isn't a perfect fit for Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt's "pro-style" offense and he'll likely need ample time to adjust, but he's prodigiously talented and provides an upside that a guy like Mettenberger simply can't touch.
Yes, Mettenberger would have been selected higher than the sixth-round last year had it not been for an injury which hampered him significantly during his senior season at LSU, but he's still nowhere near the NFL prospect that Mariota is.
And yes, Mettenberger performed admirably during a lost season for the Titans last year - in seven games of work Mettenberger completed 107 passes for a 59.8 completion percentage, 1,412 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
His rating was a respectable 83.4, but his QBR was an abysmal 30.1.
It was a promising, if not wholly convincing effort on Mettenberger's part though.
The question is, does it provide enough promise that the Titans should forego the opportunity to add a potential franchise signal-caller like Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft?
The thinking here at HNGN is a resounding 'no,' but it remains to be seen if Whisenhunt and the rest of the Titans brass feel the same.
