Over the last couple of seasons, the Tennessee Titans have been forced to go through an unfathomable amount of injuries at every single position.
Even quarterback Ryan Tannehill wasn’t able to escape the injury bug in 2022. That unfortunate situation ultimately forced rookie quarterback Malik Willis into the starting lineup before he was truly ready.
Predictably, Willis severely struggled more often than not. To make matters worse, the Liberty product was surrounded by inferior talent that even the most elite quarterbacks would likely struggle to elevate.
Nevertheless, as unfair as it may be, a lot of fans and media are very down on the once hyped-up prospect.
Willis only accounted for a combined 276 passing yards over the eight games (three starts) in which he appeared. The young quarterback was also sacked a whopping 10 times and finished the year with an underwhelming passer rating of 42.8.
It also certainly didn’t help that Josh Dobbs instantly made the offense look better upon his Week 16 arrival, something that further soiled Willis’ rookie campaign.
Despite those struggles, former NFL quarterback-turned-analyst, Ryan Leaf, was recently on “Good Morning Football” and essentially pounded the table for Willis.
When discussing Kentucky’s Will Levis on the show, Leaf used Willis as an example of someone who benefited from falling in the draft due to the decreased expectations for someone who clearly wasn’t ready.
“I think after (Willis’) performance last year, that’s where that (doubt) crept in,” Leaf explained. “But I also don’t think it’s a referendum on him. I don’t believe that at all. I think Tennessee flat-out told everybody ‘we did not want to play him.’ We (The Titans) were forced to do it because of injuries, we wanted to see him develop, and we knew he was a couple of years away. That’s why we drafted him where we drafted him.”
“I think (Willis) can develop into one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL, and that’s where they hope they can move onto after Ryan Tannehill. And the expectations are certainly not there if he were picked in Kenny Pickett’s spot.”
This is certainly a fair take when it comes to Tennessee’s young signal-caller. Anyone who actually took the time to watch him play at Liberty could see how steep his learning curve was going to be.
On the flip side, Willis’ rare skill set and untapped potential were as undeniable as his rawness was.
There’s no telling how much Mike Vrabel and Ran Carthon truly believe in Willis’ long-term potential, but the former Liberty legend undoubtedly has all the tools in the shed to make something special out of himself.
However, now that he has a full year of experience under his belt, it’s time to consistently start showing positive signs of that development, both in the meeting room and on the football field.