Malik Willis was competing with Sam Howell and Kenny Pickett as the top quarterbacks in a weak 2022 NFL draft class for the position. Pickett ended up as the only first-rounder of the group, while Willis, along with Desmond Ridder and Matt Corral, landed in the third round, with Bailey Zappe going in round four.
Somehow, Howell slid to the Washington Commanders with the first pick of the fifth round. The San Francisco 49ers drafted Brock Purdy with the last pick of the draft, and he shined in eight starts before injuring his elbow in the NFC championship game.
One year later, teams are set to report to training camp, and four of the above quarterbacks will either start for their team or compete to start. Pickett, Howell, Ridder and Purdy are all expected to start in 2023. Purdy is recovering from the elbow injury, but the 49ers hope he’ll be ready for Week 1.
Surprisingly, Willis is not competing to be the Titans’ starting quarterback in 2023. In eight appearances, with three starts, Willis completed just under 51% of his passing attempts with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Titans spent a second-round pick on Will Levis in April’s NFL draft. Is it possible that Tennessee could cut Willis this summer?
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports speculated about five potential landing spots for Willis if the Titans move on from him. The Washington Commanders were one of those teams.
While he rose to prominence during the Patrick Mahomes era, Washington’s new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was integral in Alex Smith’s resurgence before Mahomes took over in Kansas City, and those Chiefs offenses astutely tapped into Smith’s athleticism as a runner and scrambler.
And with Mahomes, particularly in 2022, Bieniemy demonstrated keen scheming skills, as even without Tyreek Hill, Kansas City’s offense hummed as efficiently as always. Without anyone locked into a long-term starting role at quarterback, I’d love to see Bieniemy work with a passer as naturally gifted as Willis. The veteran coordinator could easily deploy RPOs and an assortment of easy, one-read looks for Willis as the former Liberty passer develops as a professional.
I just don’t see this one. Willis struggled badly as a passer in 2022. That doesn’t mean he can’t make it as an NFL quarterback, but his best bet is landing with a team that has an established starter, so there is no pressure to play immediately. That’s not Washington.
The Commanders believe in Howell. It’s doubtful they add someone from his class who also has yet to prove himself as an NFL player. The Giants, Lions, Cardinals and Seahawks were all mentioned as possibilities for Willis if he’s cut. Any of those four teams would make more sense than Washington. He would be the backup in all four places, and that’s what he needs if things do not work out with Tennessee.
