Ever since the Tennessee Titans drafted Liberty quarterback Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, fans have flipped the hourglass on when the dynamic quarterback will see the field. Scratch that – I lied to you guys…something I never intended to do on this website, but here we are. Really, ever since Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions in the playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Titans fans have been clamoring for a change at the quarterback position. Scratch that – there was actually a sect of this fan base that never wanted Marcus Mari…okay, you get my point. I’m going nowhere with that last joke.
Point is, there are certain folks out there who really really want to see Willis get a stab at the job, and I happen to think those folks are going to be waiting awhile. I’m not sold that Willis is even going to be placed higher on the depth chart than the current backup, Logan Woodside. I don’t think it’s even really necessarily about Willis though, and I don’t think keeping three quarterbacks would be a bad thing for the Titans. To me, it’s about two things. One, stability. Tannehill has been the guy since taking over the job in 2019, and though some of y’all are ready to run him out of town, he’s actually done a tremendous job. Behind him, Woodside has put every third string guy the Titans brought in to push him for his job in the dirt. R.I.P. – pour one out for DeShone Kizer. The Titans have a Super Bowl window that is very much still open with Tannehill at the helm. Two, Willis has a long way to go in terms of experience and polish at the position. As crazy as this sounds, it’s experience that Woodside has. Not only that, but Woodside is a valuable asset on the sidelines with the clipboard in his hand. He’s another set of eyes on the field, and this coaching staff trusts him.
It’s easy to fathom if you can frame this topic of discussion within this context – the Willis pick was never going to be about 2022, barring an emergency situation. It just couldn’t have been (unless the Titans find ways to utilize Willis in certain packages, but that would require some creativity we didn’t see in 2021…). Willis has a wealth of potential, and if given ample time to progress at a comfortable rate, he has the traits to become a superstar in the league if he hits his ceiling. I just think it’s going to take time to get there…time the Titans can’t waste because despite what the oddsmakers say, they still have an open championship window. So, that’s why it makes sense to keep all three – you have the stability of keeping the Tannehill-Woodside tandem rolling, while also giving Willis a bit of a redshirt year to learn the fundamentals of running an offense in the NFL and being a professional.
Now, as soon as I type over 600 words on this, the Titans will cut Woodside and sign Brandon Weeden to come in and compete with Willis for the back-up job.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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