After a nagging ankle injury and illness sidelined Ryan Tannehill right before he hit 50 straight starts, Tennessee Titans rookie Malik Willis was forced into making his starting debut as an NFL quarterback on Sunday.
Buy Titans TicketsThe young quarterback finished his day by completing six passes for 55 yards, along with one interception.
The Titans may have won the game, but it’s safe to say that Willis is still a project that needs a lot of developing if he’s ever going to maximize his incredible potential.
This isn’t some shocking development, either. It was always wishful thinking to assume the Liberty product was going to step on the football field and be a franchise quarterback midway through his rookie season.
Ultimately, this was just an incredible learning experience for the rookie quarterback that will be invaluable for his development going forward.
It became obvious as the game went on that Willis especially needs to improve his overall decisiveness and pocket awareness. The Titans’ young gun slinger struggled to operate the offense with rhythm and timing.
These problems in particular showed up during his lone interception of the day. Willis had the receiver open if he just ripped the ball with anticipation.
Instead, he hesitated, and by the time he actually threw the ball, the defender was already breaking on the pass.
Gimme that 🔒 @Nelson_Island
📺 » @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/qC6HyUdHK6
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 30, 2022
Fortunately, Willis was complemented all day by a potent dose of Derrick Henry, along with a stifling defense that allowed the rookie to just manage the game.
In the end, the Titans found a way to win without their current starting quarterback while simultaneously providing an awesome opportunity for their young quarterback to see what playing in the NFL is really like.
Willis clearly has his growing pains to go through, but he deserves patience from this entire fanbase. This one game doesn’t make him a bust or anything of that nature, but it is confirmation that he still has work to do in order to reach his ceiling.
This wasn’t the breathtaking debut every Titans fan was hoping for, but Willis did just enough to not get in the way of the team’s fifth-straight victory.
