One of the bigger wild cards for the Tennessee Titans ahead of the 2023 season is 2022 third-round pick and quarterback, Malik Willis.
After being selected by Tennessee last year, Willis ended up starting three games in place of an injured Ryan Tannehill, and while there were some flashes from the rookie, the overall result wasn’t good.
Of course, it’s hard to blame Willis for that. After all, he was always expected to need a year to develop, and it’s not like he had a supporting cast capable of putting him in the best possible position to succeed.
Yes, Josh Dobbs came off the street and had more success than Willis, but I’m not sure a quarterback with multiple years experience in the NFL performing better than a raw rookie is something to be shocked at. Adding to that, the Titans needed to win now and Dobbs gave them the best chance to do so.
While the overwhelming thought has been that Willis likely isn’t in the plans under center in 2023, we really haven’t gotten any indication one way or the other about how the team feels about the young signal-caller.
Thanks to NBC Sports’ Peter King, we may now have an inkling.
In his recent mock draft, King has the Titans trading up to No. 3 and taking Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, but in his write-up he states he’s heard Tennessee has “lost faith” in the Liberty product.
How cool would it be if the two rookie GMs in the first round combined to shake it up? This trade and pick makes sense, but honestly, I have no idea if it’ll happen. It would serve Arizona’s purpose of getting significant draft capital—trading down eight spots for either a one next year or maybe three picks in the top 75 over this draft and 2024. And the Titans, who I hear have lost faith in Malik Willis, might be in a unique position here. Coach Mike Vrabel is tight with Ohio State coach Ryan Day. Vrabel will get the real about Stroud from Day, and I think that real will be mostly positive. And Vrabel will be a good coach for Stroud. That plus the fact that Ryan Tannehill would be able to give Stroud time to adjust to the pro game. One thing re: the sudden knocks about Stroud, which absolutely should not be ignored but absolutely should be put into perspective – This from one exec of a team, a winning team, that respects the S2 athlete-processing test that, per McGinn, had Stroud grade very low: “All of a sudden the S2 test is the Bible. Why? It’s a smart test. But how did the guy play? How was his tape?” I would like this deal for Tennessee, and for Arizona.
I personally haven’t lost faith in Willis and think he deserves a shot in a better situation than the one he was thrown into in 2022. However, his presence on the roster should not preclude Tennessee from taking a quarterback in this year’s class, especially if it’s Stroud.
