Cam Ward and Malik Willis joined the Tennessee Titans with different expectations, but the latter might be exactly why the former ended up in town. Having wondered if the Titans made a mistake by trading Willis to the Green Bay Packers nearly a year ago, fans' tunes have likely changed.
Ward made his NFL preseason debut on Saturday night, playing two drives and finishing 5-of-8 for 67 yards. The No. 1 overall draft pick leaned on his No. 1 receiver, Calvin Ridley, throwing him three passes for 50 yards.
"I think my biggest (takeaway) is I just got to maximize my drives," Ward said afterward. "I had a three-and-out the first quarter and that was all we did. Maximizing my drives and trying to continuously moving the chains, you've got to be able to give your defense a break."
Keeping Malik Willis wouldn't have been better than getting Cam Ward
Willis also hit the field on Saturday night, going 4-for-9 for 39 yards. He was sacked three times, including one where he was stripped in the end zone by New York Jets defensive lineman Leonard Taylor. The fumble resulted in a touchdown after Jay Tufele fell on it. Attribute Mecole Hardman's muffed punt — and the poor field position it caused — as part of the blame.
The Titans received a seventh-round pick for Willis, their third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, when they sent him to Green Bay. Then-new head coach Brian Callahan and now-former general manager Ran Carthon opted to roll with former — and now current — Pittsburgh Steelers passer Mason Rudolph as Will Levis' backup instead.
Willis wound up starting a pair of games for Matt LaFleur's team as starter Jordan Love was hurt last season. Willis won both, completing 25-of-33 pass attempts for 324 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The latter victory came on the road against the Titans, who started Will Levis, the guy who essentially sealed Willis' fate in Nashville.
Naturally, after watching Willis' impressive performances, Titans fans wondered if the new regime made a mistake by shipping him off. At the time, it was fair to wonder, being that the blend of Levis and Rudolph combined for a bottom-third ranking in terms of team passing yardage and the second-most interceptions in the league.
However, in a more positive light, the futility breeded a 3-14 record and the chance to draft Ward, who the team hangs its hat on as its future.