Zach Mettenberger Waived by Titans: Latest Comments and Reaction

The Tennessee Titans announced the release of quarterback Zach Mettenberger on Monday, which coincided with some new additions to their roster prior to minicamp.

Mettenberger, 24, was one of four players let go to make room for rookie minicamp tryouts. The LSU product threw for 935 yards and four touchdowns against seven interceptions last season, playing in seven games while standing in for an injured Marcus Mariota.

Tennessee added veteran Matt Cassel earlier this offseason, and he is expected to be Mariota's primary backup in 2016. Cassel spent last season with the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys, throwing for 1,276 yards and five touchdowns with seven picks.

While Mettenberger probably wouldn't have won the starting job, it's a surprise that the Titans released him outright. He still had two years remaining on his rookie contract at exceedingly reasonable rates ($600,000 for 2016; $690,000 for 2017). The San Diego Chargers eventually claimed Mettenberger on waivers Tuesday and took on that contract as a flier, according to Ricky Henne of Chargers.com.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Titans released him on Monday because they "knew his future wasn't in Tennessee, [so] this gives him an OTAs and minicamp somewhere to learn." 

Titans general manager Jon Robinson elaborated on Wednesday, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com: 

"

Just trying to be fair to Zach and allow him to get started, get a fresh start, and go compete somewhere for a spot and playing time. Having Marcus here kind of afforded us that option to do it sooner rather than later and really give Zach and his young career a chance to grow in a new system, a new environment.

"

Paul Kuharsky of ESPN reported the Titans attempted to trade Mettenberger before the release, but no teams "wanted him badly enough to give up even a seventh-round pick."

Mettenberger was a sixth-round pick in 2014 and was forced into duty as a rookie. He flashed occasional signs of promise in that season, throwing for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns against seven interceptions. The Titans nonetheless chose to move on when Mariota became available with the No. 2 pick in 2015.

Mettenberger's inability to handle NFL game speed became more apparent when Mariota went down last season. He completed only one pass of 40 or more yards the entire year and was one of the worst quarterbacks in football by most metrics.

Football Outsiders' DVOA metric ranked him the seventh-worst quarterback to make 10 or more passes in 2015. ESPN's QBR placed him 79th, behind some players who don't even play the position.

Overall, the Titans were 0-10 in games Mettenberger started over the last two seasons.

Still, he's a young quarterback with a big arm and NFL game experience. Mettenberger is probably never going to be starter material, but the state of quarterback play is scary around the league, giving him a chance to develop behind Philip Rivers in San Diego and his former head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who is serving as the Chargers' offensive coordinator.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.