 -- During his rookie season in 2015, Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota carried the ball only 17 times on designed runs. That's a pretty low number given Mariota's athletic skill set and 4.5 speed. In comparison, quarterbacks Cam Newton (103 carries), Tyrod Taylor (53 carries), Russell Wilson (46 carries), Alex Smith (30 carries) and even Andy Dalton (30 carries) were utilized much more within their respective game plans.

Mariota has the wheels to test opposing defenses in a variety of run schemes. Think of the zone-read, counter runs and the RPOs (run-pass options) that create opportunities for the quarterback.

Yes, Mariota was banged up because of a knee injury in 2015, and that limited his carries/total production on designed runs (71 yards, four touchdowns). But after new Titans' head coach Mike Mularkey said he wanted to see his quarterback run with the football more this upcoming season, is it time for Tennessee to unleash Mariota in 2016?

Let's focus on how the Titans can cater their game plan to maximize Mariota's talent next season and turn the QB into a true dual-threat weapon.

Mariota as a running threat

At 6-foot-4, 222 pounds, Mariota isn't going to pound the ball inside the tackles the way Newton does. The Panthers' quarterback has the freakish size to take hits and run the QB Power or Counter GT versus NFL defenses. But with Mariota's speed on the edge, the zone-read should be a weapon for the Titans in 2016. Even the threat to run will affect defensive game plans.

Similar to what we see with the Seahawks and Wilson, the zone-read opens up running lanes for the dive back (inside zone scheme) and also creates issues for opposing defenses forced to play with discipline on the edge.

The narrative with the read option is that it leads to the quarterback taking unnecessary shots and getting beat up. But when you watch Wilson carry the rock, or check out Mariota on tape running the zone-read last season, these quarterbacks don't get lit up in the open field very often. They know where the sticks are, find the boundary and sacrifice a yard or two to get down.

In Week 11 against the Jaguars, Mariota produced a 23-yard touchdown run off zone-read action that was part of an RPO concept. With the tight end releasing (and removing the strong safety in coverage), Mariota has one read off the mesh point (quarterback-running back exchange). And if that defensive end crashes (as he does here), the edge is open. Pull the ball, attack outside and showcase the stopwatch speed that generated some serious buzz at the 2015 combine workouts. That's six all day.

The Titans also showed some base zone-read with the tight end on an "arc" block (or wrap) to the playside edge against the Jaguars again in Week 13. At the snap, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (aligned in a nasty split) cracks inside on the linebacker with tight end Delanie Walker wrapping around to block the cornerback. That leaves Mariota with one read (defensive end) through the mesh point. Ride the ball and pull it once the defensive end crashes inside. That's a quick 10 or 11 yards with Mariota finding the boundary to avoid a direct hit.

Mariota doesn't need to rack up more than 100 carries as Newton did on designed runs. That's a big number. But somewhere around 50 carries makes sense for Mariota in 2016. That will not only showcase his talents as a runner but also force defenses to consistently account for the quarterback. And that's the true value of the zone-read scheme with a dual-threat quarterback running the show.

More RPOs built into the game plan

RPOs are the future of football because they combine run schemes with pass options. Two concepts built into one call with the quarterback making his read based off where he sees the numbers advantage. Mariota ran these schemes back at Oregon, and he showed a comfort level running "pop" passes and modern-day triple-options in the Titans' playbook. But I would run even more RPOs in 2016 based on Mariota's skill set and the stress these concepts put on defensive run/pass keys.

In these RPOs, Mariota can throw the inside slant (or seam), target the bubble screen if he has the numbers outside, hand off on the inside zone or throw a combination route (slant-flat for example). Plus, like the zone-read, these RPOs once again make Mariota a viable threat to pull the ball and run.

In this example against the Panthers in Week 10, the Titans are basically running a triple-option with Mariota reading the path of the defensive end (dive/keep) and then "optioning" the cornerback and safety. With the defensive end crashing inside, Mariota pulls the ball and can now run or throw the slant-flat combination. If the cornerback squeezes the slant, Mariota can target the flat. If the cornerback squats outside, then Mariota keeps the ball.

That's a lot of options for the defense to cover up.

This scheme caters to Mariota because of his eye discipline, experience working through the mesh point and his athleticism with the football in his hands. Again, he becomes a threat to run once he pulls the ball -- but now he has the option to throw based on what he sees from the secondary.

To expose defenses on the inside "pop" pass at the NFL level, you need a quarterback with a lighting quick release and the ability to read the defensive front. Find the matchup, identify the throwing window and sling the ball. That's what we see here in this example from Mariota against the Browns in Week 2.

With Cleveland showing a loaded front and the cornerback playing off against wide receiver Kendall Wright in the slot, Mariota has the option of handing off on the inside zone or throwing the slant/seam. This is exactly how an RPO should play out with the linebackers attacking downhill versus the inside zone (offensive line is run blocking) and thus creating a throwing window for Mariota. The Titans' quarterback quickly rides the running back through the mesh point, sets his feet and delivers the ball (on time) to expose the open window at the second-level of the defense.

These RPOs are not going to take the place of the standard drop-back concepts in Tennessee's playbook, but the Titans are crazy if they don't add more to the mix in 2016. Mariota is the ideal quarterback to run these RPOs because of his threat to run the ball, his quick release, footwork and accuracy on inside breaking routes.

Movement and play-action

As we talked about above, the drop-back passing won't be replaced. And Mariota has to advance in the pocket. No different than any rookie quarterback, Mariota made some mistakes last season with his reads and decision-making. Yet, Mariota still completed 62 percent of his passes on throws from inside the pocket with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. There is a lot of quality tape here, and I expect Mariota to make an even bigger jump in 2016 on pocket throws when paired with the development of second-year wide receiver Green-Beckham. The 6-5, 237-pound playmaker can be a lethal target for Mariota this season.

However, as much as the Titans will lean on Mariota to throw the ball in the classic drop-back game, let's not forget about his value on play-action throws. In 2015, Mariota completed 61 percent of his passes on play-action concepts (five touchdowns, three interceptions) for 9.07 yard per attempt (up from the 7.85 yards per attempt on drop-back passes). And, in my opinion, the play-action schemes that cater best to Mariota's talent put him on the move.

Sure, Mariota can hit the seam, deep crosser or the post off play-action when he's under center. He shows the footwork, the eyes and the accuracy when he sets up at the top off the drop. But I like him even more once he gets to the edge of the pocket. That's when we see his athleticism take over along with his ability to deliver accurate throws on the move.

In the example below, the Titans are running a boot play out of the shotgun while giving Mariota a three-level read (flat-crosser-comeback). It's a standard scheme we see with every NFL team, but my focus here is on the backfield action with Mariota riding the running back through the mesh point before moving outside of the pocket. This forces the defense to play contain on the edge and the linebackers to read through the play-action.

With the edge defender retracing his steps (off the run fake) to contain the quarterback, Mariota looks up the slot receiver and delivers a ball away from the defender. This is a high-percentage throw that picks up an easy first down. And it should look familiar, because this is the same scheme Mariota ran back at Oregon with Chip Kelly.

Sprint, boot and dash (half-roll) -- those are the basic movement passes in the NFL. And when you add play-action, along with Mariota's talent, these concepts test the eye discipline of the defense while getting the quarterback outside of the pocket.

The spread game

Leading up to the 2015 draft, I was guilty of wondering whether Mariota could transition to the NFL from his spread system at Oregon. But the more tape I watch of the quarterback, there is no question his game fits on the NFL stage. He can throw from the pocket, attack the secondary and also use his athletic ability to impact defensive game plans.

In 2015, the Titans did mesh those spread and pro concepts together with Mariota, but the team didn't get the most out of their quarterback. As I mentioned above, the knee injury did come into play, but only 17 designed runs over 13 games? That's not enough if you truly want to utilize Mariota's rare skill set at the position.

By utilizing Mariota's athleticism and quick-fire decision making, the Titans can build out their playbook in 2016. You want Mariota to be a true dual-threat guy? Then create a game plan to unleash his talent this season.