Why Titans Should Make QB Trade

The Tennessee Titans may have one too many cooks in the quarterback room.

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

When the Tennessee Titans selected Liberty quarterback Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, there was potential for him to become the next franchise guy.

However, things have gone south quickly for Willis in the first two years of his NFL career. Willis drew three starts in his rookie season, but looked lost and completed just over 50 percent of his passes. Then, the general manager that drafted him, Jon Robinson, was fired. Ran Carthon took over and selected Will Levis in the second round of the draft, completely killing any confidence the Titans had in Willis.

Willis didn't start last year, and now he finds himself as the third-string quarterback after the Titans signed Mason Rudolph in free agency. With two quarterbacks potentially ahead of him on the depth chart, Bleacher Report writer Matt Holder suggests that the team should find a trade for Willis.

"Who knows how much the Titans can get for Willis at this point, but even a seventh-round pick might be worth striking a deal. They signed Mason Rudolph to backup Will Levis, so the third-year pro's ceiling this fall is serving as the team's emergency quarterback," Holder writes. "Tennessee should be able to find someone else to fill that role, giving more reason to pick up assets for a player who likely won't play during the regular season."

The value may not be a lot, maybe a seventh-round pick in 2025 or 2026, but that would be better than letting Willis rot on the bench as the emergency third-string quarterback every week. With a completely new regime than the one that drafted him, Willis needs a fresh start, one where he could maybe become the primary backup for a team.

Willis will get a shot to learn during the offseason in new head coach Brian Callahan's system in hopes that it could change his fortunes. However, it likely is just delaying the inevitable departure of Willis from Tennessee. The Titans could do right by him if they accelerate his fresh start elsewhere.

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