Zach Mettenberger Comments on Backing Up Marcus Mariota, Chargers, More

Zach Mettenberger sees a brighter future for himself in San Diego than he had in Tennessee.

Mettenberger said he could see the writing on the wall with the Titans committing to Marcus Mariota at quarterback moving forward, according to Ricky Henne of Chargers.com.

"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 said. "Being here has put the wind back in my sails.”

The former LSU star also appears ready to take on any role with his new team.

“I’m a tough, hardnosed 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."

After the Titans took Mettenberger in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft, he started 10 games for Tennessee over two seasons, but his numbers were underwhelming, per Titans Online's Jim Wyatt:

The Titans never viewed him as the future at quarterback, which led to the team taking Mariota No. 2 overall in 2015. The Titans placed Mettenberger on waivers May 16, and the Chargers claimed him a day later. 

According to ESPN, the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants also put in claims on Mettenberger, showing that multiple teams believe he has some potential to contribute to an NFL team.

Philip Rivers is 34 years old, so there is potential for Mettenberger to eventually take over the Chargers' offense in the next three to five years. He is also reuniting with Ken Whisenhunt, the former Titans head coach who is now the offensive coordinator in San Diego.

Kellen Clemens is the current backup behind Rivers, but there is not much competition for the third-string job. San Diego cut Bryn Renner to make room Mettenberger, per ESPN's Adam Caplan. This leaves only undrafted rookie Mike Bercovici to battle with the new addition for a roster spot, assuming the Chargers keep three quarterbacks.

Mettenberger is only 24 years old, and he has a lot of potential. He has a strong arm and plenty of size at 6'5", but he has to improve his 60 percent completion rate. Clemens is not the long-term replacement for Rivers, so if Mettenberger impresses the Chargers, he could become his heir apparent.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.