Malik Willis saw his first NFL game action Thursday night when he started for the Titans in their preseason Week 1 game against the Ravens.
Willis played the entire first half and a few snaps in the second half, and he posted a solid stat line: 6-of-11 passing for 107 yards; 38 yards and a touchdown on five rushes.
Despite those numbers, Titans coach Mike Vrabel still saw a lot of room for improvement by the rookie. He said during his postgame news conference that Willis was “OK” but needed to get better with his timing on passes.
“He needs to try to throw the ball when guys are open, be more decisive. So we’ll evaluate that and see if there’s a timing issue,” Vrabel said.
MORE: Malik Willis showcases upside with strong play vs. Ravens
Vrabel expected Willis to experience growing pains. That’s part of why he kept his goals for Thursday modest.
“Just wanted to get him out there and see how he responded,” Vrabel said.
.@Titans HC Mike Vrabel on @malikwillis in his debut. pic.twitter.com/DhMTTo9aZH
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 12, 2022
Vrabel also wants to make sure that Willis is learning from his mistakes. He acknowledged that while the rookie made some electric throws, he also failed on some throws.
There were some good plays and obviously some plays that we’re going to have to look at the timing on the release and if we’re making the right decisions.
Willis threw a 48-yard strike to Racey McMath and a 5-yard, sidearm completion to Tommy Hudson. Those plays made it easy to see why many Titans fans — and NFL fans, in general — were excited by his debut.
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But Willis also struggled with accuracy in the pocket, especially early in the contest. He failed to complete each of his first three passes and struggled on non-bootleg passes all night.
Those issues are part of the reason he believes he has “a lot to learn from” his debut.
“I missed some things probably and I just made up for it with my legs,” Willis said in his postgame news conference. “Can’t continue to rely on that, but that’s what the preseason is for, so you can just see those things against a live defense.”
Willis’ decision-making and timing should improve as he grows more comfortable in the Tennessee offense. Vrabel will likely harp on making those improvements during the upcoming week of practice, and then see how Willis responds to coaching when the Titans face the Buccaneers in preseason Week 2.
