Marcus Mariota Likely Won't Take Part in OTAs Due to Broken Leg

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota is expected to sit out the franchise's organized team activities during the offseason as he continues to recover from a broken leg suffered in a Week 16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in December.

Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com passed along the update from head coach Mike Mularkey, who talked about the star's comeback efforts during a radio appearance on 104.5 The Zone.

When asked about Mariota's return, Mularkey said: "Probably camp [in July]. I don't really see OTAs right now unless he has a quick recovery."

The coach stated they are going to move forward with an abundance of caution and hope Mariota can make it back to full strength without any setbacks. He pointed out the onus will be on the staff to keep him from pushing too hard to get back on the field, per McCormick.

"I can't give you specific dates. I think we're gonna be really smart about how we handle him and probably be over-cautious. The later probably the better. We need him for September," Mularkey said. "You guys know Marcus like I do. He's probably gonna over train to come back as quickly as he can, and we're probably gonna have to put the reins on him to hold back a little bit."

Mularkey noted the quarterback has advanced to the point where he's working with an underwater treadmill to regain strength. But there's no official timeline for each stage of the recovery.

Mariota was enjoying a rock-solid sophomore campaign before the injury. He'd completed 61.2 percent of his throws for 3,426 yards to go along with 26 passing touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He added 349 yards and two TDs on the ground.

His 95.6 passer rating ranked 10th in the NFL. His 64.9 mark in ESPN's Total QBR metric placed him 12th.

TJ Hernandez of Roster Coach provided one stat where Mariota has ranked among the league's elite:

All told, four-to-five months was the projected timetable for Mariota's return after his surgery in late December, which would conservatively put him on track to complete the rehab in late May. And, since it's the offseason, there's no real reason to rush.

Making sure he's ready to roll for Week 1 of the 2017 season is the most important thing. So the Titans will likely work him in slowly, even when he does get full medical clearance. They might not even let him go all out until the third preseason game in late August.