The future at quarterback remains unclear for the Tennessee Titans with the practically certain departure of Marcus Mariota and the situation as it stands with Ryan Tannehill.
If Tannehill doesn’t return to Nashville in the upcoming season, the team will look to free agency and/or the 2020 NFL Draft for his replacement.
And if he is the Titans’ starter in the upcoming season, he’ll surely need a competent backup.
Former Utah State signal-caller Jordan Love, who has been connected and mocked to the Titans on multiple occasions, could come into play.
Here’s a complete breakdown of the quarterback.
Pros
There’s a lot to love about Love.
He’s a flashy quarterback with incredible arm strength, a beautiful over-the-top release and he can fit the ball into what look like impossibly tight windows.
His general accuracy is decent, despite last season’s alarming interception total (17), as Love finished out a three-year career at Utah State with a completion percentage of 60.3.
Love also has the mobility and athleticism to keep a play alive, and to break away and make something out of an unlikely situation.
Cons
Love won’t hesitate to take shots to push the ball downfield quickly, but he can get a bit reckless.
This has cost him in the past, fully reflected in his touchdown-to-interception ratio last season, which stood at 20 to 17.
He needs to improve his field vision and awareness, as well as his decision-making to avoid an unnecessary amount of misfires at the next level.
His internal clock isn’t always spot-on, either.
Biggest strength: Arm talent
There isn’t a throw that Love can’t make.
Utah State’s game against LSU last season may be Love’s worst film, but he looked more impressive than Joe Burrow — for a short period of time, before it all fell apart, of course.
He keeps his eyes down the field, and wastes no time getting the ball out with a rapid release.
I took a close look at each opposing quarterback each week while covering LSU’s national championship season, and Love was easily among the most eye-catching passers the Tigers faced.
Biggest weakness: Aggression… to a fault
It’s hard not to like an offense with a quarterback who isn’t afraid to sling it. But there’s a way to take shots, and there’s a way not to take shots.
Love made some questionable decisions, particularly through the 2019 season, learning a lot through what he’s repeatedly called “17 teachable moments.”
When I spoke with Love after the Senior Bowl, he told me that he had been working on his decision-making.
“I’m going into the offseason looking to be a little more decisive and make good decisions in the game,” he said. “That’s something I’m going to have to continue to work on.”
We’ll see just how much he learned when he makes his NFL debut.
Bottom Line
Jordan Love has done a lot with a supporting cast that doesn’t even begin to touch the level that quarterbacks in the first-round conversation had. The fact that he’s in the running with them despite that says a lot about who he is as a player.
Love lost his starting offensive line, strongest running back, top wide receiver — and that’s on top of his head coach resigning, forcing him to learn a new offense ahead of his final season with the Aggies.
Who wouldn’t struggle in that situation?
The team that selects him will either prove that argument when he takes the field, or show that the stat sheet meant something after all.
But if there’s one thing that can be guaranteed, it’s that whichever team picks him up is getting an athlete with rare physical gifts and a high ceiling.
