The football career of former Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger didn’t look to have a bright future as he found himself at the bottom of the depth chart on Sunday.
But that could all be changed now.
Current Memphis Express starting quarterback Christian Hackenberg had a dismal AAF debut on Sunday, finishing the first half of action with a bleak passer rating of just 1.7 as the team headed to the locker room.
Head coach Mike Singletary kept him in until late in the second half, where he saw very little improvement.
Hackenberg finished the day 10-of-23 passes for 87 yards and one interception for an overall passer rating of 36.0.
“I saw that he has to get better,” Singletary said. “That’s the bottom line.”
Former Troy standout Brandon Silvers, who came in Hackenberg’s relief, didn’t perform much better. His first pass of four after Hackenberg was benched was picked off by an Iron defender, pushing the Express’ ugly offensive efforts back even further.
Silvers finished the game 3-of-4 passes for 22 yards and one interception.
When asked about where he would go next with Hackenberg and the quarterback position as a whole, Singletary did not give a clear answer. He didn’t say Hackenberg would remain the starter, but didn’t say he would be replaced, either.
Mettenberger may have found his place on the inactives list in Week 1, but the former LSU star may find new life as the quarterback position battle looks to be busted open once more.
The signal-caller showed plenty of potential throughout camp before dropping to the bottom of the depth chart, and Singletary is probably rethinking that decision after the weekend.
Mettenberger has hardly been given a true shot to prove himself on a roster since he was forced out of Tennessee, and it may be time for the Express to take another look at him now.
Regardless of whether Mettenberger can earn the starting gig or not, it will be interesting to see how the Express handle the issue at quarterback as they move forward in their first season.
