The Titans thought they were drafting their quarterback of the future when they selected Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Yes, he was a project, but one that could develop behind Ryan Tannehill. But, Tennessee decided to bench a struggling Tannehill in favor of Willis, and it was clear that the Liberty product was not ready to play in meaningful NFL games quite yet. Tannehill found his way back into the starting lineup after recovering from an ankle injury, but when that injury was later re-aggravated, it was Josh Dobbs who replaced him, not Willis.
In eight games (three starts), Willis completed 50.8 percent of his passes for 276 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions.
And while Willis was always a project, the Titans have reportedly already lost faith in him.
In his weekly “Football Morning in America” column, Peter King of NBC Sports has Tennenesee trading up to the third overall pick with the Cardinals, to come up and select Ohio State QB, CJ Stroud.
“And the Titans, who I hear have lost faith in Malik Willis, might be in a unique position here,” wrote King.
That is certainly shocking news, considering many believed Willis to be the best quarterback in his draft class. The fact that the Titans are already souring on him could be because of the new regime in place in Tennessee, but Mike Vrabel was still very much the head coach when the team made this selection.
The NFL world reacted to the horrible Titans news on social media:
https://twitter.com/MZingalie/status/1650523810716688385?s=20
we went from malik willis is going 1st overall to out of the league outrageously fast https://t.co/gpktJuLylH
— Clay (@clay_c0le) April 24, 2023