Titans won't give Jake Locker thumbs up just yet

Titans quarterback Jake Locker wants to return to the starting lineup.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt isn't ready to give him a thumbs up, however, because the quarterback's injured right thumb continues to be an issue.

Charlie Whitehurst stepped in for his second start in three weeks on Sunday and guided the Titans to a 16-14 win over the Jaguars as Locker watched from the sideline.

The Titans face the Redskins on Sunday (noon, WTVF-5), but right now, Whisenhunt isn't sure who his quarterback will be.

Locker's status won't be determined until later in the week, he said, and it will hinge on how much his condition improves. Locker suffered the injury in the first half of the Oct. 5 loss to the Browns.

"When you ask Jake, he says it is getting better,'' Whisenhunt said. "It is really going to come down to when he can grip the ball and throw it and not have issues."

So is there a chance the Titans might stick with the relatively hot hand in Whitehurst, even as Locker's health improves? Whitehurst has thrown three touchdowns to one interception this season, with a passer rating of 93.8. Locker's rating is 75.9, with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Sorry, Charlie.

"Nothing has changed with our quarterbacks,'' Whisenhunt said. "We are working to get Jake healthy, and when he is healthy, our goal is to get him (out) there."

Locker has started four games this season and missed two starts because of injuries. He was knocked out of the game against Cleveland with the thumb injury after coming back from a wrist injury that sidelined him against the Colts.

Whitehurst has played in three games in all, with two starts and one relief appearance.

If nothing else, all the quarterback shuffling took the attention off the Titans' struggles through five weeks. But after a win against the Jaguars, a game in which Whitehurst threw for a career high 233 yards while leading four scoring drives, it's at least fair to question whether the Titans are slowing themselves down, or at least disrupting chemistry, with all the shuffling.

Whisenhunt isn't buying that theory.

"I don't think it hurts it any other than having a different left tackle or a different running back or a different linebacker or a different DB,'' he said. "I know the quarterback is an important position, but that is the NFL; you are going to have to have guys to step in and play."

Tight end Delanie Walker, who has been the team's most consistent offensive performer despite the changes, agrees with his coach.

"You can throw me the football; I am going to catch it,'' Walker said Monday. "It really doesn't matter who is throwing the ball. I don't think anybody looks at it that way on our team, either. It is probably difficult for the coaches to have Jake come and Charlie come back, I'm not sure. At the end of the day, we just run the plays they call."

Whitehurst, who started just four NFL games before signing with the Titans this offseason, plans to continue approaching things like he always has as a backup. He'll prepare as if he's the starter, although he admits the playing time has helped.

"I do feel better,'' he said. "... I feel comfortable, confident."

In the meantime, the Titans will wait on Locker.

Locker didn't practice all last week. He threw some passes Saturday but was inactive Sunday. Rookie Zach Mettenberger was the No. 2 quarterback against the Jaguars.

Whisenhunt said Locker's condition will be monitored during the week. The Titans return to the practice field Wednesday.

"We tried to get him back for Sunday, and he just wasn't ready,'' Whisenhunt said of Locker. "It is going to be a progression of where he goes from there. It is coming, it is getting better. We are going to see."

Reach Jim Wyatt at 615-259-8015 and on Twitter @jwyattsports.