Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love left Sunday's Week 11 matchup with a shoulder injury, immediately running from the blue medical tent to the locker room. That put backup Malik Willis into action — even if only briefly before Love did eventually return to action — and the Packers' firm stance to not trade Willis in the offseason and at the trade deadline paid the dividends they obviously believed it would.
Willis came into the game with the Packers trailing 7-0 against the New York Giants, and drove the team down the field, culminating in Christian Watson's first touchdown reception of the season. That kept Green Bay in the game early without their franchise quarterback, Love, on the field. As such, it stands as a testament to why general manager Brian Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, and the organization were unwilling to move their backup quarterback in any type of trade.
Even Jordan Love's return after an injury doesn't lessen Malik Willis' impact
As mentioned, Love came back from the locker room and reentered the game, scoring on his own drive as well to leave the two sides knotted up, 13-13, going into halftime. However, the Packers deserve plenty of credit for being in the position that Love's absence, brief or not, didn't sink them and confident that any more missed time won't sink them either.
Willis has proven to be highly capable of running LaFleur's offense since Green Bay traded for him from the Titans. That's one of the reasons he's been a quietly valuable commodity, one that the Packers undoubtedly could've gotten great value for on the trade market. But his value is higher staying in Green Bay, at least in the front office's estimation, because he protects the team at quarterback.
For as good as Love has been in his young career, injuries are also nothing new. It's a bridge too far to say that the Utah State product has been injury prone, but he's certainly no stranger to missing time and getting banged up to this point either.
Especially with that — but even if that wasn't the case — while the Packers are no strangers to trading from a surplus position to acquire draft capital, that was never going to be the case with Willis. Having a quarterback who can come in cold or without having been the starter at any point, and is then able to effectively execute the offense is one of the most underrated commodities in professional football. And for a Green Bay team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, that's doubly true.
Had the team made the move to pursue a trade for draft picks in exchange for Willis, that wouldn't be the situation this team was in. Green Bay's front office correctly read the room, and essentially ensured that the Packers wouldn't be completely flattened by an injury to Love, no matter the severity, because they retained Willis.
Packers' offensive depth might be their most underrated strength
Following the Micah Parsons trade this offseason, along with the emergence of Love and the steady presence of Josh Jacobs in the backfield, it's easy to look at the star power in Green Bay and believe that's the biggest reason this team is a contender. And to be sure, that's not entirely untrue — it undeniably helps the cause.
At the same time, though, players like Willis, Emanuel Wilson, the ultra-versatile and deep receiver room, and even the backup offensive and defensive linemen that the Packers have stockpiled might be the biggest thing working in their favor. Willis as the backup quarterback is obviously in a higher-profile situation whenever he's put into action, but the point stands across the board for this team.
Much like with Love and Willis, the Packers are essentially protected when it comes to injuries. Obviously, there may be a step back, just as the offense runs a bit differently with Willis at the helm than it does with Love running the show. At the same time, though, there are few spots on this roster, especially on offense, where Green Bay isn't constructed roster-wise to withstand levels of hardship and injuries.
So often in the NFL and most often in the playoffs, the idea of the healthiest team being the best contender is brought to the forefront. There's certainly a track record that indicates as much, too. However, a roster build like the one the Packers have with Willis and the rest of the quality backups they've held onto is a way to counterbalance that.
Obviously, Green Bay would prefer to stay fully healthy and not have to turn to backups. If they're forced to, however, they've been constructed to not be dead in the water thereafter. Hanging onto Willis is the embodiment of that, but it's present throughout the rest of the roster as well.