NFL Rumors: San Diego Chargers Find Philip Rivers Replacement In Zach Mettenberger

NFL rumors are swirling around Zach Mettenberger. After being waived by the Tennessee Titans on Monday, ESPN is reporting that the 24-year-old quarterback has been picked up by the San Diego Chargers and is being groomed as an eventual replacement for Philip Rivers.

The Tennessee Titans gave up on their Zach Mettenberger experiment. They didn’t feel that he showed enough when he was on the field. Plus, they also found their franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota. Titans management felt that it would be better to have a veteran quarterback as his backup. They chose Matt Cassel over Mettenberger.

The San Diego Chargers are now going to give it a shot. Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt wants to finish what he started when he was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt wants to see if Zach Mettenberger can develop into an NFL level quarterback. If it works out, then the Chargers will benefit greatly from it.

Though Philip Rivers still has a couple of years left in him, the San Diego Chargers are also aware that he is 34 years old. They want to groom a replacement now instead of having nothing when he decides to step away from the NFL. The Chargers don’t want to be one of those teams who spend years without having a starter level quarterback.

Zach Mettenberger is walking into a situation where he doesn’t have at on of pressure on him. The San Diego Chargers are in no rush to get rid of Philip Rivers. They also feel confident in Kellen Clemens as their veteran backup quarterback. Mettenberger will simply be there to learn and develop. There’s no pressure for him to be on the field and carry a franchise, a burden that is really too difficult for some younger players.

There will be a little bit of competition for Zach Mettenberger, though. Back in April, the San Diego Chargers signed Mike Bercovici. The former Arizona State Sun Devils star was not selected in the NFL Draft. Management saw something in him, so they’re giving him a chance. He’ll have to beat out Mettenberger.

Philip Rivers should serve as a great mentor for Zach Mettenberger. Having been a starter in the NFL for so long, Rivers has seen it all. Rivers can provide Mettenberger with all sorts of answers when they spend hours in the film room together. Mettenberger can also observe how Rivers handles himself as a professional. The two of them got a chance to get to know one another when Rivers would visit his little brother, Stephen, and the LSU Tigers, where Mettenberger was a star.

If Zach Mettenberger can learn from Philip Rivers and Ken Whisenhunt, the might be ready to start in the NFL a couple of years down the road. Being a starting quarterback on the professional level is what Mettenberger has always wanted to do in life. He’s in a tremendous situation to accomplish that now. The San Diego Chargers have a much better offense than what Mettenberger was provided with the Tennessee Titans.

It’s interesting to note that the Cleveland Browns passed up on the opportunity to claim Zach Mettenberger. The quarterback position is a major concern for the Browns. Since Cleveland had a worse record than the San Diego Chargers, they held a higher priority in the waiver system. The Browns also traded down instead of drafting either Carson Wentz or Jared Goff. That has led many to believe that the franchise is comfortable with Robert Griffin III.

The San Diego Chargers might some day be glad that the Cleveland Browns passed up on Zach Mettenberger.

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