The Giants have Eli Manning as their starting quarterback and Ryan Nassib as their backup, a pecking order that has been in place for the past three seasons.

This has never precluded the Giants from wandering eyes when it comes to adding a young quarterback, which is why they put in a claim for Zach Mettenberger after the Titans put him on waivers.

Mettenberger was claimed off waivers Tuesday by the Chargers, where he will be reunited with Ken Whisenhunt, his former head coach in Tennessee who is currently the offensive coordinator in San Diego. ESPN reported the Bengals were a third team to put in a claim for Mettenberger. The Chargers were awarded Mettenberger by virtue of having the worst record (4-12) of the three teams last season.

What would the Giants have done with Mettenberger?

Well, he would have joined a quarterback pool that includes Manning, Nassib and B.J. Daniels, who has been with the 49ers, Seahawks and Texans. Mettenberger would have staged a training camp battle with Nassib for the backup role. If he was impressive, the Giants could have kept him, kept three quarterbacks or tried to trade either Mettenberger or Nassib late in the summer. Nassib, the former Syracuse star, is entering the final year on his contract.

Mettenberger, 24, started six games for the Titans as a rookie in 2014 and played fairly well, though he did not win any of the six games. It was clear he was not viewed as the answer in Nashville when the Titans selected Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mettenberger started four games in 2015 when Mariota was injured. In his two-year career, the LSU product has completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 2,347 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions for a passer rating of 75.4. He is 0-10 as a starter.