1 week Ago By Evan Bruner
With Jordan Love out for the next few weeks, the Green Bay Packers will have to turn to Malik Wills. Willis has legitimate NFL physical traits, but struggled in his time with the Titans. Green Bay will need to tweak the offense to keep the team competitive in Love's absence.
Green Bay Packers fans received promising news on Saturday after it was announced that Jordan Love suffered an MCL sprain in the team’s opening-week loss to the Philadelphia Eagles . While Love seems to have avoided a more severe injury that could’ve cost him most, if not all, of the season, he will still miss time, forcing Green Bay to turn to newly acquired backup Malik Willis . Here is what the third-year quarterback brings to the table.
One of Green Bay's most iconic quarterbacks has high praise for the franchise's current leader. Malik Willis Was an Exciting Prospect in the 2022 Draft Willis became one of the most enticing quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft . In a year when quarterback talent was relatively low, fans were intrigued by Willis’ physical attributes.
He had legitimate rushing ability and had a howitzer for an arm. The numbers and polish weren’t quite there, but the traits were promising. The NFL was far more skeptical.
Willis, who at one point had first-round buzz, fell to the third round, where he was selected by the Titans. There appeared to be a consensus among league front offices that Willis’ risk made it hard to justify the use of premium capital. As a third-round pick, though, the Liberty product was a fairly low-risk investment.
He was a backup to Ryan Tannehill and was thought to be a potential successor. Willis Struggled in His Time in Tennessee The problem with Willis’ appeal was that it was almost entirely theoretical. People liked him because of what they thought he could be rather than what he was in his current form.
This was on full display during Willis’ rookie season. He started three games for the injured Tannehill and went 1-2, completing just 50.8% of his passes.
Willis struggled to sustain drives and looked like a fish out of water trying to operate an NFL offense. Malik Willis Tennessee Titans Stats Games 12 Passing Yards 350 Passing TDs 0 INTs 3 Comp % 52.2 Passer Rating 48.
7 The Titans were less than impressed by their rookie’s performance and selected Will Levis in the second round of the 2023 Draft. Levis quickly climbed the depth chart and eventually secured the starting job . From that point on, Willis was rendered useless to the franchise.
He wasn’t good enough to help the team win in the present and was no longer a part of the team’s long-term plans. Tennessee traded Willis to Green Bay late in the preseason , giving him a fresh start. The Packers Will Look To Make the Most of Willis’ Tools Matt LaFleur is one of the game’s most respected offensive minds, and for good reason.
He’s been influenced by the likes of Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan and added his own distinct twist to his scheme. He will certainly have his work cut out for him for the next month or so. Willis has several shortcomings as a quarterback, but the most noticeable is his pocket presence.
He’s been sacked on 18.3% of his NFL dropbacks. To put this number into perspective, if Love, who dropped back 35 times on Friday, was sacked at the same rate as Willis, he would’ve been taken down six times.
GIVEMESPORT Key Stat : Malik Willis was sacked four times on nine dropbacks in 2023, giving him a sack percentage of 44.4. These sacks are drive-killers, and Willis doesn’t have the accuracy to compensate for continually putting the offense behind the sticks.
LaFleur can’t change who Willis is, certainly not in time for Week 2, but he can work around this. Green Bay will likely look to run the ball on most first downs in an attempt to avoid obvious passing down and distances. Normally, coaches are expected to shelter their backups and use a heavy dose of screens and predetermined reads.
However, this has always been one of the weaker points of Willis’ game. His shaky short accuracy and inability to make quick passes on schedule date back to college. Willis does have the arm to make the occasional deep sideline throw.
While Green Bay has the athleticism at wide receiver to launch some deep balls, without the ability to sense pressure and avoid sacks, these longer-developing concepts can be risky. Willis will serve as one of LaFleur’s biggest tests as a coach and an alleged offensive guru. The Packers don’t need to be perfect, but staying competitive in Love’s absence will be crucial to keeping the team in what is shaping up to be a tight NFC North race.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise How did Jordan Love's first season as the Green Bay Packers starting QB compare to those of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers?.
