Malik Willis: Jordan Love ‘Preparing to Play’ vs. Colts

With Jordan Love recovering from a knee injury, Malik Willis is getting ready to start for the first time since his rookie season.

Malik Willis at Packers practice on Wednesday / Bill Huber/Packers On SI

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Malik Willis isn’t the only quarterback getting ready to start for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

So is Jordan Love.

Love, who suffered a knee injury against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, did not practice on Wednesday. Coach Matt LaFleur said door is “pretty open” for Love to be in the lineup at Lambeau Field – as unlikely as that seems.

“He’s been out there (at practice), he’s getting his mental reps,” Willis said on Wednesday. “He’s preparing to play, you know what I mean? And we’re just preparing ourselves if he can’t go. That’s the reality of this league. So, we just have to continue to utilize these reps and be ready to go if called upon.”

Willis was acquired from the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 26. When the Packers face the Colts in a battle of 0-1 teams on Sunday, it will mark 20 days since the trade.

That’s meant a crash course in learning an offense nobody expected he’d have to run, considering Love started all 19 games (including playoffs) last year.

“It’s been pretty much around the clock since I got here,” Willis said of trying to learn the offense on the fly. “That’s the reality of this thing. You try to come in and be ready to go if you’re called upon. You just work each day and that’s it, that’s all you can do, that’s all you can control.”

Including playoffs, Love has started 21 games for the Packers. LaFleur knows what Love likes. There is no such familiarity with Willis, which adds an extra layer to the process.

“It’s not like we’re dealing with a guy that doesn’t have a process. He’s got a process,” LaFleur said. “I thought he did a great job in his three weeks – which feels like three months – that he’s been here just kind of going through it, being dialed in, knowing the details of why we’re trying to get things called and showing him the necessary clips to get him prepared, to get him confident.

“And now it’s about going out there and doing. The things he might not be more comfortable with we might take out. But you’ve got to go through the process and you’ve got to get a feel for it and communicate.”

Willis was a third-round pick by the Titans in 2022. Unlike Love, who had the luxury of watching behind Aaron Rodgers, Willis was pressed into duty for three starts as a rookie.

Those games didn’t go well – barely a 50.0 percent completion rate with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. In the 2023 draft, the Titans selected Will Levis and Willis threw only five passes.

“The only way you get better is reps, and live game reps would definitely be a different feel,” Willis said. “At this point, I’ve only played three games and I was a rookie. Call it what you want to (but) I wasn’t ready yet, but I had to go in.

“I’m a different player than then, but control what you can control. It’s not about what you know, it’s about what you can prove on the field. You know what I mean?”

In four days, Willis might get his chance to prove it. To show he was worthy of the hype before the 2022 draft. To show that his combination of athleticism and arm strength can translate to victories. To show, if nothing else, he can be the quality backup quarterback the Packers have been searching for.

Asked if he was nervous about starting, Willis replied, “Nervous about what?”

About starting his first game since Christmas Eve 2022.

“It’s Wednesday,” he responded. “I’m not worried about that. It’s just continuing to work each day this week and gain more and more confidence in the guys and have them gain more confidence in me, if that’s the plan. Or, just be ready to go if Jordan can go. And that’s all up to Jordan.”

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— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 11, 2024

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