NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On the scale of recent Titans' hamstring injuries, Mike Mularkey puts Marcus Mariota closer to DeMarco Murray than Corey Davis and Johnathan Cyprien.
An MRI showed a hamstring strain for the Titans starting quarterback.
Whether that means he plays a week after his setback the way Murray did remains to be seen. But an extensive layoff like the ones for Davis, who’s expected to miss a third game, and Cyprien, likely out a fourth, sounds far less likely.
“We will right now take it day-to-day,” Mularkey said. “He’s a pretty fast healer. We’ll see where he is at and give you more information on Wednesday. …It’s more day-to-day, as we speak, then (Davis and Cyprien).”
The Titans will have a far easier time bouncing back from the 57-14 horror story in Houston with Mariota in the huddle, even if he’s asked to stay in the pocket a bit more.
Matt Cassel played poorly in Mariota’s place, and he and the Titans offered standard fare about how he will be better after a week of more work at practice. But the drop-off from starter to backup is enormous on most teams with a good starter, and that’s certainly the case in Nashville.
Mularkey said the Titans are talking about whether they need another quarterback on the 53-man roster. Alex Tanney is on injured reserve, rehabilitating a broken foot and cannot return this season. Undrafted rookie Tyler Ferguson is on the practice squad.
He’s the most likely person to get a roster spot if Mariota is unable to function as the starter or backup Sunday in Miami.