Examining the QB options: Could Marcus Mariota be a possibility?

Second in a series

Note: The quarterbacks in this series lack the sizzle, style and resume of potential options such as Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott and a trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft.

But if the Broncos cannot import a top-10 starting quarterback who represents a clear upgrade over Drew Lock, a veteran hedge to provide competition is the most likely option to bolster the QB room.

MARCUS MARIOTA, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 27
• EXPERIENCE: 6th year

THE HIGHS: You know he can beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mariota’s finest hour came in the wild-card round of the 2017 playoffs, when he led Tennessee to three consecutive second-half touchdowns, turning a 21-3 halftime deficit into a 22-21 upset that ended Alex Smith’s five-year run as Kansas City’s starting quarterback.

Performances like this compelled the Titans to exercise the fifth-year option on Mariota –even though in 2017, he threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (13). But his 2018 campaign saw only modest progress, leading to the Titans trading for Tannehill as a hedge in case Mariota’s growth did not accelerate.

THE LOWS: Broncos fans attending their team’s home game against the Titans in Week 6 of the 2019 season saw Mariota’s Titans tenure end when Mike Vrabel yanked him in the third quarter.

Mariota’s efficiency and his ability to avoid backbreaking mistakes kept in the lineup for the first five games of the 2019 season. Heading into Week 6 of that year, Mariota’s passer rating of 103.0 ranked sixth in the NFL. Of the 28 quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts to that point in the year, he was one of just three passers with no interceptions; Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes were the others.

But in the Titans’ previous four games, they’d averaged just 14 points an outing. Twice, they mustered a single touchdown and nothing more. Mariota was efficient, but there was no explosive capability to the passing game; the offense was a bust. When Mariota and the Titans faced Vic Fangio’s defense, the veneer of efficiency melted away. He completed just seven of 18 passes, was intercepted twice and was pulled for Tannehill with an anemic rating that read like an Olympic gymnastics score: 9.5.

He hasn’t started a game since.

FOUR-YEAR FORM (2017-20)

(Rankings are among 62 quarterbacks with at least 250 total plays — attempts, rushes and times sacked — over the past four years.)

• PASSER RATING: 86.0, 34th
• YARDS PER ATTEMPT: 7.40, 22nd
• COMPLETION PERCENTAGE: 63.89, 32nd
• TOUCHDOWN-PASS RATE: One every 30.38 attempts, 53rd
• SACK RATE: One every 11.34 pass plays, 55th
• INTERCEPTION RATE: One every 37.39 attempts, 43rd
• FUMBLE RATE: One every 87.4 plays, 22nd
• BALL LOSS RATE (INTERCEPTIONS + FUMBLES): One every 30.58 plays, 30th

WHAT STANDS OUT: In the end, Mariota has been a league-average starting quarterback in recent years, evidenced by his passer rating and his average rank of 36th in those eight categories. Where he becomes exceptional is in the threat he provides on the ground. His average of 5.64 yards per attempt in the past four seasons ranks ninth among the 62 quarterbacks sampled, and he still possesses breakaway potential on the ground. No coverage scheme can ignore his running threat; that creates open space that he must do better at exploiting.

WHY HE COULD BE A FIT: Mariota ran Jon Gruden’s iteration of the West Coast offense effectively in his only game of work last season, the Raiders’ Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Las Vegas averaged 3.0 points per possession with Mariota at the controls. That was well above the NFL season-long average of 2.26, and also better than the Raiders’ pace of 2.63 points per drive.

Another factor in Mariota’s favor is how he handled spending most of the last two seasons on the bench. In both Tennessee and Las Vegas, Mariota earned praise from teammates and coaches for his selfless demeanor. If he was angry about being a reserve after starting throughout his first four full seasons, he never let it show and was never a locker-room disruption. Should he not earn the starting job if the Broncos acquire him and drop him into a competition with Lock, one would expect him to handle the reserve role with the same grace and support for his teammates that he displayed the last two years.

WHY HE WOULDN’T BE: First of all, there’s the matter of who the Broncos must deal with: a division rival. Should other suitors outside the AFC West have viable trade offers, Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock are unlikely to deal Mariota within the AFC West. The Broncos haven’t executed a trade of an active player with the Raiders since sending Gerard Warren to Oakland for a fifth-round pick in 2008.

Then, there is the question of whether he would be a scheme fit for Pat Shurmur’s offense. Although Mariota would prefer to play from the pocket, he will run more often than most quarterbacks. In the past four seasons, 12.8 percent of his plays have been runs — the seventh-highest figure in the NFL in that span.

HOW THE BRONCOS MIGHT GET HIM: Via trade. If the salary cap settles somewhere between $180 and $185 million, the Raiders will find themselves in a cap crunch, sitting between $17 million and $20 million over the cap. If Las Vegas can’t find a trade partner, he appears to be an obvious cap casualty; cutting him would save $11,350,000.

That would appear to be unnecessary; Las Vegas appears to have a slew of teams expressing interest — some that would be willing to make Mariota their projected 2021 starter. Denver would likely consider Mariota as competition and a hedge if Lock fails to make a leap forward, which further hinders the Broncos’ chances.

Given the presence of other comparable free-agent possibilities, Mariota appears to be an unlikely candidate to join the Broncos. Still, his sparks of brilliance, his ability to play well on a moment’s notice and his willingness to handle a reserve role with dignity mean that if he did end up as a reserve, he would fit the bill.

PREVIOUSLY IN THE SERIES

• Nick Foles