Malik Willis getting a shot to prove he’s a future franchise QB

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Malik Willis appears poised to make his NFL starting debut on Sunday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. According to Pelissero, Titans starter Ryan Tannehill has been dealing with illness and an ankle sprain, so the Titans are going to get the chance to see their young rookie on the road against the Houston Texans.

Coming out of Liberty this past NFL Draft circuit, Willis was pretty widely expected to contend to be the first quarterback off the board. Unfortunately for him, the NFL really didn’t like this quarterback class and only one player (Kenny Pickett of the Steelers) went in the first two rounds at quarterback. Willis lasted to the third round where the Titans scooped him up, and because they were able to get him at that price tag, everyone seemed to agree that the Titans had gotten themselves a bargain.

Now, with the Titans once again in first place and a road matchup against the Houston Texans on deck, Malik Willis will get the chance to prove in a regular season game that his NFL Draft status should have ended up much higher than it actually was.

Malik Willis can bring another dynamic to Titans offense

Of course, Willis is just holding the fort down for Ryan Tannehill for the time being. This is not a permanent switch and it would take something herculean for Willis to actually supplant Tannehill in the Titans’ lineup on a full-time basis. This move more likely means a heavy, heavy dose of Derrick Henry and the running game, but that’s also an area where Willis can thrive.

Of course, the Titans’ most recent attempt to get Willis involved in the offense did not go according to plan, to say the least.

What we saw in the NFL preseason, however, was something totally different. We saw Willis utilize both his arm and his legs to make plays for the Titans and hopefully, we’ll see him playing with a level of confidence against the Texans so the Titans’ offense can play with balance.

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This is a team that is used to winning “ugly” as it is. The Titans are 4-2 this season but there hasn’t really been anything overly thrilling about their games to this point. They rank 21st in the NFL in scoring offense and 18th in the NFL in points allowed per game defensively.

Willis could add that excitement, even if the Titans have to let him take some lumps along the way.