Titans QB Another Part of Bad Rookie Class

The Tennessee Titans could look to trade Malik Willis this offseason.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis (7) warms up before a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas., Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

It's very possible that third-year quarterback Malik Willis has played his final game with the Tennessee Titans.

Willis, a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has failed to live up to expectations so far during the first two years of his career. However, he has yet to follow a pattern that other quarterbacks in his rookie class have done.

Of the nine quarterbacks selected in that draft, only three remain with the team that drafted them. Willis is the highest selection out of the quarterbacks that hasn't changed teams. The other two are Skylar Thompson of the Miami Dolphins and Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, both of whom were seventh-round picks.

The other six struggled to stay with the team that picked them. Kenny Pickett was the first quarterback off the board, and even though the Pittsburgh Steelers were excited to keep him in the city he went to college, the former Pitt Panther was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason.

Desmond Ridder was also dealt by the Atlanta Falcons to the Arizona Cardinals back in March for wide receiver Rondale Moore. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a massive extension, negating any need for Ridder to be on the roster. He's set to backup Kyler Murray this season and next while he is under his rookie contract.

Sam Howell met a similar fate when he was traded by the Washington Commanders to the Seattle Seahawks despite starting every game for the team in 2023. Howell went 4-13 as the starter and went 0-8 to end the season.

Bailey Zappe is still with the New England Patriots, but they cut him at the beginning of the 2023 season. He's currently the fourth quarterback on the team's depth chart with veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookies Drake Maye and Joe Milton III ahead of him.

The other two quarterbacks, Matt Corral (Carolina Panthers) and Chris Oladokun (Pittsburgh Steelers), failed to survive one season with their drafted teams. Corral is in the USFL with the Birmingham Stallions while Oladokun has won two Super Bowls on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad.

Willis could soon follow in the footsteps of the quarterbacks he entered the league in if he is unable to earn the backup job against Mason Rudolph in training camp later this month.

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