Tennessee Titans QB Malik Willis talks strong showing in training camp, growth

Malik Willis knows what is at stake. The Tennessee Titans quarterback was put on high alert after the team signed Mason Rudolph in March. The latter has shown flashes of being a capable backup in Pittsburgh, guiding the Steelers to a perfect 3-0 record last year while completing 74.3 percent of his passes.

Willis, on the other hand, has underwhelmed through his first two seasons. The Titans invested a third-round pick on the Liberty product with the hope that he might become the face of the franchise. Instead, Willis has completed just 53 percent of his passes in 11 appearances, including three starts in which he had a 1-2 record with three interceptions.

Now, he is just fighting for a roster spot.

Entering his third year in the league, along with some pressure from Rudolph, Willis is playing his best football thus far. The 25-year-old engineered his best showing of training camp in front of 10,000-plus fans at Nissan Stadium on Saturday, completing 3-of-4 in 7-on-7 drills and 3-of-5 in team drills.

"I've been really pleased with Malik. I think both of those quarterbacks have really done a nice job," said Titans head coach Brian Callahan via AtoZ Sports Nashville . "Malik came out and had a nice day with some aggressive throws. He's really done a nice job knowing what to do and where to go with the football. I'm really pleased with how he played today. It was a good day for Malik."

On the surface level, a 6-of-9 day does not exactly jump off the page. However, Willis completed a couple of darts, including a precise pass to Jha’Quan Jackson across the middle and Tre’Shaun Harrison along the sideline, drawing oohs and ahs from the Nissan Stadium crowd. If undrafted free agent wide receiver Bryce Oliver hadn't dropped a deep ball, his day might have been even better.

Still, Willis exuded a certain level of assertiveness in his throws that we had not seen before. The young quarterback is now 18-of-24 in combined drills thus far in camp.

It's a significant difference from Malik Willis's performance in his first NFL start, where he only completed 6-of-10 passes for 55 yards and had a quarterback rating of 35.4 against the Houston Texans. Last season, he played in three games and completed 4-of-5 passes as the Titans looked to rookie quarterback Will Levis as their future franchise quarterback. Now, Willis is in a tough competition for the backup quarterback position in Nashville.

If he loses to Rudolph, Willis could end up being cut from the roster.

It's fair to say that the young quarterback is feeling the pressure, but it is nice to see him respond to adversity despite it being his third different offensive coordinator in as many seasons.

"I've been able to retain the information from all three and learn the entire process," Willis said. "I've made my mistakes, but I feel like I've learned a lot, and I just feel more comfortable making certain decisions."

Willis will undoubtedly have an extended look in the preseason schedule, as Callahan and the Titans coaching staff will want to ensure that Willis and Rudolph both have the opportunity to prove themselves.