4. Marcus Mariota
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, “in a make-or-break year for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Mariota collapsed. The former Oregon star continued to mix flashes of impressive play with conservative decision-making and bucketloads of sacks, as he was taken down on a staggering 13.6% of dropbacks before being benched for Tannehill. With Tannehill leading the Titans to five wins in his first six starts, Mariota is clearly on the outs.
It would likely take an injury to Tannehill and a deep playoff run from Mariota to get the Titans to bring back their former starter for another season. Given that both the coach and general manager who initially drafted Mariota are long gone in Tennessee, there’s nothing tying the organization to Mariota. With his fifth-year option expiring at the end of the season, Mariota’s future almost surely lies elsewhere.”
Mariota will hit the open market this offseason and, for what looks to be a nice “prove-it” discount, the Raiders could secure him for a low cost experimental signing. The Bears have been linked to him to thanks to their offensive coordinator, Mark Helfrich, and his ties to Mariota, but the Bears have bigger issues to deal with on the offensive side of the ball when it comes to revamping their failed run game.
