Must the Titans Keep Three Quarterbacks This Season?
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NASHVILLE – Three’s a crowd.
So, will the Tennessee Titans quarterbacks’ room be crowded this season? That is a question that coaches and franchise officials must sort out during training camp and the preseason.
Third-round draft pick Malik Willis agreed to contract terms Saturday. The quarterback out of Liberty – the third quarterback selected this year – was the last of the Titans’ draft class to complete negotiations and one of the last of all of this year’s NFL rookies.
That means he will start training camp on time alongside veterans Ryan Tannehill and Logan Woodside.
Willis gives the Titans a clear picture of their future. The best quarterback available in this year’s draft, according to many analysts, will replace Tannehill as the starter at some point, perhaps as early as 2023. His blend of athleticism, arm strength and charisma seemingly are ideal for the modern NFL and should add a certain excitement to the offense.
They felt strongly enough about him that they traded with the Las Vegas Raiders to move up four spots to No. 86 in order to select him.
At issue is what to do with him in 2022.
“I think his role will be determined by how quickly he comes in here and learns the offense and improves and gains the respect of his teammates,” general manager Jon Robinson said on draft day. “No different than any other player. … He is a player that was just kind of staring at us there. We were excited that when we were able to get up and get him.”
All involved agree that Willis needs time to adjust to certain aspects of the professional game, such as calling plays in the huddle taking snaps from under center, reading defenses, etc.
Under coach Mike Vrabel, the Titans’ 53-man regular-season roster has included just two quarterbacks. For the past two years, that has been Tannehill (the starter) and Woodside (the backup) with a veteran on the practice squad as an emergency option (Trevor Siemian, DeShone Kizer, Matt Barkley and Kevin Hogan all have spent time in that role).
If Willis shows he is ready to be the No. 2, the Titans can release Woodside, a seventh-round pick by Cincinnati who has thrown two regular-season passes in his career. In that scenario, the hope would be to bring back him as the veteran on the practice squad.
Things will get trickier if Woodside is clearly the better of the two. There is no way that Willis would clear waivers and be signed to the practice squad, which means Tennessee would have to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster. That will take up a spot that otherwise would go to a player at another position.
And if Willis is the No. 3, do the Titans put him in uniform for games and take advantage of his athleticism – and get him some game experience – in carefully scripted personnel packages and play calls? Again, that would leave the roster short one player at another position.
“I think that there's a lot of things that we can do with different skill players,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “… He is a tough tackle. Obviously, there's a lot of things that we're going to have to work with and develop that our coaches are excited, and I know (Willis) is ready to get here and get to work.
“… We'll try to do and put the best players out there to give us a chance to win.”
The important thing for now is that Willis will be in camp on time. Rookies are scheduled to reports on Saturday. Veterans report Tuesday and the first on-field practice session will be Wednesday.
