Former Tennessee Titans and current Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota will start the 2020 season on Injured Reserve.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Mariota is dealing with a pectoral strain, which he says has limited the signal-caller in practice.
Marcus Mariota has been dealing with pec strain, one that has severely limited him in practice. The hope is the time away helps. https://t.co/ewO1wYNWE6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 7, 2020
Because of the new IR rules in place, Mariota can return after three weeks, as opposed to the usual eight players who are placed on IR are required to sit out. In the meantime, Nathan Peterman will serve as Derek Carr’s backup.
Per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Mariota had not looked good in practice since joining the Raiders, so perhaps this is the explanation as to why that’s the case.
Upon joining the Raiders, there was a thought that Mariota could challenge Carr for the starting job, but Tafur made it clear he’s not even close to doing so. This will only hamper his efforts.
Of course, Mariota has a lengthy injury history dating back to his days with Tennessee. He has never played in 16 during his five-year career.
