The Tennessee Titans are all but certain to turn to rookie quarterback Malik Willis in Week 16 against the Houston Texans after starter Ryan Tannehill reportedly suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 15.
This won’t be Malik Willis’ first rodeo, though, as the Liberty product made a pair of starts earlier in the season when Tannehill was forced to miss two games.
We did see some flashes from Willis in those starts, but it was clear overall he still needed a lot of work. Going into the third start of his career, the Titans are praising Willis for the growth he has shown.
Head coach Mike Vrabel said the rookie looked more comfortable in the lone series he played on Sunday, and on Wednesday offensive coordinator Todd Downing explained why Willis looked more comfortable.
“Not only in his confidence and his command of the huddle,” Downing said “But also just how he diagnoses defenses, and our conversations — the conversations I’ve had with him the last couple of days are different than they were six-to-eight weeks ago — so I’ve been very pleased with how hard he’s worked and the progress he’s made this year,”
“I think he got in and out of the huddle well, I think he got through his progressions well,” Downing added. “That drive, like many of our drives on Sunday, derailed with a penalty that got us into a behind-the-sticks situation. And that’s going to be hard for anybody, particularly somebody who was kind of thrown in the spur of the moment.”
#Titans OC Todd Downing says the thing QB Malik Willis has improved on is processing in the moment, adding things have slowed down for him.
— Kayla Anderson (@KaylaAndersonTV) December 21, 2022
Thanks to the progression the Titans have seen from Willis, Downing also said it allows the team to open up the playbook more.
Todd Downing said he can open up the playbook a little more now for Malik Willis than when he was forced into action several weeks ago.
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) December 21, 2022
“You could tell the way he commanded the huddle was a lot different than when he did back against the Texans and Chiefs,” rookie tight end Chig Okonkwo said of Willis from his first starts to his latest outing in Week 15. “It seems like he felt a lot more comfortable, and a lot more confident, as well. He’s obviously a lot smarter — the things he’s learned, and he’s got more of a feel for the game.”
While Willis will no doubt be up against it with a bad offensive line and wide receiver corps., one thing he has going for him is familiarity, as one of his two starts this season came against the Houston Texans.
“I think that is fair,” Vrabel said of the idea that familiarity with the Texans can help Willis. “Not only that but just the comfort level of having been out there [previously].”
“That was in the past,” Willis said of his previous start against Houston. “It’s about going out there and trying to prepare for this week. [The Texans] have been playing some hard games against these last few teams they’ve been playing. We just have to expect that.”
While the injury to Tannehill is extremely unfortunate, it does give the Titans an opportunity to get an early, extended look at the man who could be the future of the franchise in a season the Titans were going nowhere anyway.
