The Titans remain optimistic about the prognosis of their star quarterback, Marcus Mariota.
Head coach Mike Mularkey said at the combine this week that Mariota, who broke his right fibula at the end of December and is currently spending time at his new home in Oregon, is still right on schedule to make it back for camp.
"I think he's home right now with his family. I know he built a house out there. (Players) don't have to be back until April 17 and again, that's when phase 1 starts and again, that's all voluntary. But we know what's going on with Marcus' rehab daily. We do a good job of staying in touch with their training staff. We're made aware of everything. It's logged as it's being laid out. We know what's going on."
Mularkey said Mariota is in a boot, but is putting some weight on the injured area.
"I feel pretty good about it," Mularkey said. "You have to trust the doctor's words. And if you know Marcus like we do, I think we believe that with the way he goes about business, he'll be prepared. And he's not going to overdo it. He's been told 'Be careful. Be smart about it.'
"I think our No. 1 goal is to make sure he's under center when we open up opening day. I'm not going to put a time frame on when that first practice or when the first – I can't do that because every player is different in how they recover and it's a difficult thing to do."
Our hope for more thrilling offenses in 2017 hinges on the broken legs of both Mariota and Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, two of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the league right now running two of the most exciting offenses. Mularkey's rise with the Titans last year promised to shake up a division that was once settled to belong to either Bill O'Brien or Chuck Pagano.
After 3,426 passing yards and 26 touchdowns in 2016, this season represents a key growth point in Mariota's progression. The Titans seem intent on making sure that next step is not impacted by a December injury.
