Malik Willis News

With Ryan Tannehill (ankle) on injured reserve, Willis drew the start in Week 16, but he threw two interceptions and was benched for Week 17. While the Titans lost to Dallas last Thursday, Vrabel said he was encouraged by the way Dobbs played and is confident in the veteran backup's ability. Willis is a rookie third-round pick and figures to have a future in Tennessee, but barring an injury, it appears like he'll be relegated to bench duties for the remainder of the 2022 campaign.

The Titans went with Dobbs against Dallas on Thursday, and the 27-year-old quarterback threw for a respectable 232 yards with one touchdown and two turnovers in the 27-13 loss. Willis is more capable of making plays with his legs, but the rookie third-round pick out of Liberty failed to break triple digits in passing yards in any of his first three NFL starts. Needing a Week 18 win to make the postseason, the Titans will prioritize winning now over any future development, which seems to give Dobbs the inside track given Willis' struggles as a passer to date.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis is not expected to start Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. The Titans are expected to start Josh Dobbs at quarterback to ensure Willis' health for their Week 18 showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thursday night's game against the Cowboys is inconsequential, but next week's matchup will determine who wins the AFC South and who is left out of the playoffs. Derrick Henry (hip) is not expected to play either. numberFire's models project Dobbs for 10.5 FanDuel points on Thursday, with 183.2 passing yards and 10.2 rushing yards. The Cowboys have the sixth-best pass defense in our adjusted team rankings and they are allowing the ninth-fewest FanDuel points per game to the quarterback position this season.

With Ryan Tannehill (ankle) already ruled out for the contest, it looks like the Titans are in line to start Dobbs, with the team likely to rest a number of key players with an eye toward being as healthy as possible for a looming AFC South title showdown against the Jaguars in Week 18.

Tannehill won't return until the playoffs, if at all this season, and Willis' performance so far doesn't inspire confidence in the Titans making it beyond Week 18. Their game this Thursday is all but meaningless in terms of the AFC playoff picture, which probably explains why Derrick Henry (hip) and a slew of other key players are either listed as doubtful or out (to be fair, some of them have missed game recent games). With that in mind, the Titans could let Willis take more shots, even against a tough Dallas defense, as their playoff fortunes are almost certain to depend on the result Week 18 at Jacksonville and nothing else.

Willis drew his fourth start of the season with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) sidelined, but he struggled to get the Titans' offense moving. He averaged only 4.3 yards per attempt and his longest completion of the day went for just 14 yards. In addition, Willis threw a pair of interceptions, the first of which came on a potential game-winning drive inside Houston territory late in the fourth quarter. Positively, he did tally a 14-yard rushing score midway through the third quarter. While that hinted at his potential to excel, Willis' outlook for the final two games of the regular season is not positive.