Packers went extra mile to make Jordan Love’s new backup more comfortable than Sean Clifford

The Green Bay Packers backup quarterback competition was a sham all along, as Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt battled it out for a spot on the depth chart behind Jordan Love. However, Brian Gutekunst pulled the rug out from underneath them after some subpar preseason performances, trading for Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis.

Willis has some problems of his own, namely accuracy and consistency reading opposing defenses. The Liberty product was once a promising rookie in a lacking draft class for quarterbacks. If Matt LaFleur has his way, Love will receive almost all the snaps in 2024, while Willis will serve as a developmental project. Willis himself did not expect the trade.

“It definitely caught me by surprise,” Willis said. “More than anything, you just take it (for) what it is. Quick turnaround, and the season’s starting. There’s no more lounging around and kind of getting ready for the season.”

Why were the Titans willing to trade Malik Willis to the Packers?

Considering the Titans QB depth chart, there wasn't much room for him. Will Levis and Mason Rudolph were the unquestioned QB1 and QB2, so unless Tennessee planned on carrying three quarterbacks, Willis was bound to be cut or traded.

"When it came down to it, Mason had a better offseason and a better preseason and helped move our offense down the field,” Titans general manager Ran Carthon said. "Green Bay called and we knew that Malik had an opportunity to be the backup, which we feel he deserved, it wasn’t necessarily about the compensation. It was just doing right by Malik and giving him that opportunity."

Packers did Malik Willis a favor, and filled a need at the same time

Shortly after trading for Willis, the Packers added one of his former Titans teammates in kicker Brayden Narveson. Green Bay needed a kicker, and Narveson comes with the added benefit of making Willis a little more comfortable in a new locker room.

Clifford, meanwhile, was signed to the Green Bay practice squad as an emergency quarterback. There is still some debate as to which quarterback will back up Love during the Packers Week 1 game in Brazil, but it's highly likely that Willis is the long-term answer on the depth chart.

It may sound like a small favor -- and the Packers needed a kicker anyway, for what it's worth -- but having that familiarity can go a long way for a young player like Willis.