The Facts: Titans coaches had suggested to Mariota in the past that they wanted him to weigh between 225 and 230 pounds, in order to protect himself from hits. But he's coming to camp well under that goal, in hopes of avoiding them. According to Paul Kuharsky of The Midday 180 in Nashville, Mariota's personal trainer said he's going to report around 215 pounds in hopes of being more mobile this season.
Diehards Line:
Mariota has been listed at 222 the last two years. “I have always told Marcus that I thought he should play at 215 pounds because I felt like he was the fastest at that weight,” said Ryan Flaherty, the senior director of performance at Nike. I told him that they can’t hit what they can’t catch so he should think about playing at a weight where he is his fastest. ..." As PFT notes, the Titans might not be wild about their suggestions being ignored, but they’d obviously rather have Mariota available. Flaherty has worked with Mariota since prior to the 2015 Combine, and concentrated on preventing injuries after knee problems cost Mariota four games in 2015. And for what it’s worth, he said Mariota will be ready to participate fully when camp opens next week, after they took a cautious approach with him this offseason.