The Tennessee Titans have re-signed wide receiver Marc Mariani, the team announced. It is a one year deal.
Most likely, Mariani's role will be to compete for the kick and punt return jobs with Leon Washington, whom the team re-signed last week (but whose resigning has not yet shown up on the league's transaction report for whatever reason). It will probably be a tough road for Mariani, after he missed the entire 2012 season with a broken leg suffered in the preseason and the entire 2013 season with a shoulder injury. He showed some transitory, possibly illusory signs of developing as a wide receiver before he got hurt both times. My guess is, if real, those will probably of the sort that are considered "a bonus on gameday, if he's our returner" rather than "is a serious competitor for the fourth receiver slot," though you never know.
By bringing him Mariani and adding him to a mix that also includes Washington and Dexter McCluster, the league's most effective punt returner last year, the Titans seem to be replicating their strategy from last offseason that they will not suffer the previous season's desperate personnel situation. Last year, it was interior linemen, adding Chris Spencer, Rob Turner, Andy Levitre, Chance Warmack, and Brian Schwenke, with the result being the departure of Fernando Velasco. A similar story exists at return here-as I said, I doubt there is more than one roster spot for Mariani and Washington, and it's pretty safe to assume McCluster is a near-absolute lock to make the team. For the third straight season, expect a training camp battle to decide the return job. After last year's instability (Darius Reynaud! Devon Wylie! Trying guys already on the roster who haven't done it in years, if ever!), I'm fine with the Titans having more bodies than they're likely to keep around as long as the financial cost is reasonable. If they gave Washington and Mariani both $3 million guaranteed, though, Ruston Webster will have some 'splainin' to do.
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