The Packers appear to have a new backup quarterback on the way: Green Bay is acquiring Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick, a source briefed on the trade said Monday.
The deal comes after Sean Clifford, Jordan Love's backup in 2023, had a disappointing performance in camp. The 2023 fifth-round draft pick out of Penn State failed to differentiate himself from seventh-round rookie Michael Pratt. Pratt also didn't stand out, but he could potentially be developed further on the practice squad this season if the Packers end up with just Love and Willis on the initial 53-man roster.
Willis will likely spend most of this season as the Packers' backup quarterback, but will he be ready to play in Week 1 within two weeks?
Perhaps the Packers will keep Clifford or Pratt on the 53 man to ensure they have a backup who knows the offense better than Willis when they play the Eagles in Brazil. If they're confident both can clear waivers, they might release both and send them back to the practice squad, promoting Clifford, who knows the offense better, to game day in Week 1 and then releasing Pratt while he develops on the practice squad. In short, the Packers could go a number of different ways with their backup quarterback.
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Willis, a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, completed 35 of 66 passes for 350 yards and no touchdowns with three interceptions and also rushed 32 times for 144 yards and one touchdown.
“We had some really good moments, but we definitely had some areas we needed to improve on, and then we'll evaluate everything that's left for us,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Saturday about the backup quarterback battle following the team's final preseason game.
In the end, the Packers evaluated what else was available and decided it was better than what they had.
Malik Willis has improved but was a failure under the previous Titans regime.
Some had Willis selected as QB1 in the quarterback-starved 2022 draft, meaning some expected the Titans to grab a bargain with the 86th pick in the third round. But that was a poor decision by former GM Jon Robinson, who squandered that opportunity with a home playoff loss to Cincinnati just months after the Titans were the AFC's No. 1 seed.
The Titans should have added a quality player to help Ryan Tannehill, who was intercepted three times against the Bengals, but this was a wasted pick. The Titans quickly realized this and ended up drafting Will Revis a year later. — Joe Rexroad, Titans senior writer
Tennessee strengthens QB2 with addition of Mason Rudolph
The Titans have their best QB2 situation in five years since the Mason Rudolph deal and the addition of Tannehill in a trade with Miami to ultimately take over for Marcus Mariota. He's performed well in camp and preseason games, or so the Titans coaching staff has described it, dispelling any notion that he and Willis are competing for the backup spot.
But unlike five years ago, Rudolph is no longer a threat to the starting rotation, and figuring out what Revis can do will be the franchise's No. 1 priority this season. — Rex Lord
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(Photo: Johnny Izquierdo/Getty Images)
