Jake Locker (Lisfranc surgery) has shed his walking boot, and "hopes" to be ready to resume practicing by June. Locker recently had follow-up surgery to remove the "hardware" from his injured right foot. Locker is now wearing "normal shoes," putting weight on his foot for the first time since November. He remains on track to be ready for training camp. Locker is going into the final year of his rookie contract, but has a long leash as the Titans' starter after they released experienced backup Ryan Fitzpatrick in favor of "Checkdown" Charlie Whitehurst. However, the Titans reportedly have "no plans" to exercise Locker's fifth-year option.

Jake Locker (Lisfranc surgery) will remain in a walking boot for a few more weeks. The bad news for Locker is that he still has a long way to go in his recovery. He hasn't put any weight on his right foot since his Nov. 10 injury and still has to undergo a procedure to remove some "hardware" that was inserted during surgery. The good news for Locker is that the starting quarterback job remains his to lose under the new Ken Whisenhunt regime. Whiz referred to Locker as "our quarterback" while speaking to fans on Tuesday.

Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt gave Jake Locker an underwhelming endorsement on NFL Network at the Combine. Whisenhunt started "Jake is ...," then appeared to rein himself in and stutter, before saying "We're excited about Jake. He's our guy going forward." Whiz's body language couldn't have been less confident, but it does appear the Titans have internally deemed Locker their best option for 2014. They're not positioned to draft a top-end rookie passer, and free agency lacks viable starting quarterbacks. Whiz's first year in Nashville could be a rough one.

Titans GM Ruston Webster expects Jake Locker (Lisfranc surgery) to be ready for OTAs by June. It means Locker should be able to participate in June's mandatory minicamp, and be 100 percent for training camp. Locker is already behind the eight ball as he attempts to learn new coach Ken Whisenhunt's system, but returning by minicamp would make any previous absences mostly a non-issue.

Titans CEO Tommy Smith said he's "absolutely" in support of Jake Locker. "He's the quarterback," Smith added. Smith did say, however, when addressing Chris Johnson's status that he's not going to have much input on personnel decisions and wants the football people -- GM Ruston Webster and coach Ken Whisenhunt -- to make those calls. Locker is far from a lock to open the season as Tennessee's starter, but he'll likely enter camp as the favorite.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said he is "excited about" and has liked what he's seen from Jake Locker. "I am excited about finding out what he can do with our offense and trying to make things that he does well, have success with that," Whisenhunt said. "I know I have liked what I've seen from Jake, and I am excited about seeing him advance in this offense." Whisenhunt had previously been noncommittal to Locker but could be warming up to him a bit after watching film. We fully expect the Titans to bring in real quarterback competition for Locker.

New Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt remained noncommittal to Jake Locker (Lisfranc surgery) as his 2014 quarterback in an interview with SI's Peter King. It's worth noting Locker shares very few similarities with Whisenhunt's last two worthwhile quarterbacks, Philip Rivers and Kurt Warner. "I haven't studied him as much as I need to," Whiz said of Locker. "I have seen good, and I have seen bad. No question he has ability, and I have heard good things about him. The question is, can he harness the ability, and can he be consistent?" That's been the question about Locker since he was a phenom at the University of Washington."

Speaking at new coach Ken Whisenhunt's introductory presser, GM Ruston Webster hinted Jake Locker will get another chance to be the Titans' quarterback in 2014. "I think that's something we'll continue to discuss and go through," Webster said. "But I would anticipate Jake having a good chance to do that." Whisenhunt was similarly measured in his comments, but said nothing to suggest he won't give Locker a chance. Limited to 18 games by injury over the past two seasons, Locker is expected to remain in a walking boot until late March as he recovers from Lisfranc surgery.

New Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt offered tepid praise for Jake Locker at his introductory presser Tuesday, and said the team hasn't ruled out using the No. 11 overall pick on a quarterback. Whisenhunt said he liked Locker coming out of college, but demurred on his pro game, saying he "really (hasn't) had a chance" to study Locker's tape. For what it's worth, ESPN's Ed Werder reports Whiz has a "favorable impression" of Locker. Either way, Locker is not going to be gifted the Titans' No. 1 job coming off another injury-marred campaign. Locker appeared to be making strides before injuring his foot this season, but was limited to 401 snaps. That's a small-sample size for a player who has always struggled with consistency.

The Nashville Tennessean expects Jake Locker to be the biggest beneficiary of the Ken Whisenhunt hire.