Is Marcus Mariota Perfect Backup for Jared Goff?
As the 2021 season progressed, it became more and more painfully obvious that Tim Boyle and David Blough weren't competent backup quarterbacks.
The Detroit Lions are now more than likely going to upgrade the position this offseason, and at the top of the Lions' backup QB wish list might just be Marcus Mariota.
Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft, is basically the definition of an average NFL passer.
He never achieved high levels of success during his five seasons in Tennessee, but he did put together a couple of solid years.
For instance, in his first two years in the league, he amassed 45 total touchdown passes and 6,244 yards, to go along with just 19 interceptions.
He also produced a winning record as the Titans' starter from 2016-18, going a combined 24-19 in 43 total starts.
He was then supplanted as Tennessee's starting signal-caller midway through the 2019 campaign by Ryan Tannehill, who proved to give the Titans a better chance to win on a weekly basis.
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Subsequently, Tennessee parted ways with Mariota at the end of the '19 season, allowing him to walk in free agency.
He proceeded to ink a free-agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, which is where he's spent the last two seasons as the backup to Derek Carr.
Mariota has failed to start a game the past two years, but he did relieve an injured Carr during the Raiders' Week 15 contest with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020.
Carr had exited the game prematurely with a groin injury, and Mariota stepped in and proceeded to throw for 226 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 88 yards and another score.
Las Vegas went on to lose the game in overtime, but the biggest takeaway was that Mariota gave the Raiders a chance to win the game.
He ended up recording a QBR of 97.4 in the loss, a sign of the impressive display put forth by the Oregon product.
Coming off the bench, the Hawaii native, with his ability to also make plays with his legs, could very well give the Lions an equally solid chance of being competitive. And, that's all you can ask for from a backup.
He'd be a clear-cut upgrade over both Boyle and Blough, and I believe he should be option No. 1 when it comes to acquiring a backup passer this offseason.
