Chance Warmack's season is likely over, and if I had to guess, his time with the Titans is likely over as well.
Warmack tore a tendon in his right middle finger during warm-ups Sunday in Detroit. He managed to play through the pain in the 16-15 comeback win, wearing a heavily wrapped splint on the finger to protect it.
Warmack could've played the rest of the season managing the pain while wearing the splint, but opted instead to fix the finger with surgery that will send him to injured reserve and almost certainly end his 2016 season.
It was a decision that probably ends his tenure with the Titans as well.
The 10th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Warmack is in the final year of his rookie contract with the Titans having already elected not to invest in an expensive fifth-year option.
While new general manager Jon Robinson made it clear that Warmack was still a part of the plans for this season and potentially into the future, his decision to opt for surgery and not play out the season likely puts an end to that possibility.
Robinson and head coach Mike Mularkey have made it clear they want tough, team first players. Here's what Mularkey had to say about Warmack's decision to have surgery.
"We had a long discussion with him over all of his options, and he chose to have the surgery. So we'll place Chance on I.R. with the injury. He can return, but this is an injury that he’s going to end up having to wear a club anyhow, even when that time comes up. That’s a tough position to play with a club on your hand."
Mularkey went on to say that, "This was Chance's decision," and that, "he could've played with [the injury]."
Yikes.
That sounds an awful lot like a coach that was hoping Warmack would gut out the season with the torn tendon, and that was disappointed in his decision to get the finger fixed instead.
Opting for surgery leaves the Titans scrambling for a replacement at right guard. Either Brian Schwenke or Josh Kline will start at the position Sunday against the Raiders. Schwenke was drafted as a center and hasn't taken a snap at guard in a real NFL game. Kline was waived by the Patriots in the preseason and just joined the Titans three weeks ago.
The Titans spent all offseason trying to rebuild a struggling offensive line, adding three new pieces to put around Warmack and 2014 first round pick Taylor Lewan at left tackle. Now just as the smashmouth identity they're trying to create was taking hold, they lose Warmack two games into the season, probably for good.
Even if he returns from injured reserve this season, he'll likely be hampered by wearing the club and have too short of a sample size to prove his long term worth.
The more likely option is that he spends the season on I.R. and winds up in a different uniform next year.
The Titans had a decision to make this year on whether or not Warmack could be a foundational block for their offensive line moving on into the future. As it turns out, Warmack made the decision for them.
