Former Liberty quarterback Malik Willis will make his first career start in the NFL on Sunday as the Tennessee Titans take on the Houston Texans at 4 p.m. EST.
Willis will get the nod as starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been dealing with an ankle injury suffered in last week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. It will be the third game Willis has played in this season, as he saw playing time in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills and got three snaps in last week’s game against the Colts.
In Monday Night Football during Week 2, Willis made his NFL debut.With 3:49 left in the third quarter, Willis entered the game and became the first rookie quarterback to play in the 2022 regular season. Like the rest of the night for the Titans, it was a less than spectacular debut for the rookie. Willis completed just one of four passes for 6 yards while rushing for 16 yards on 4 carries while losing one fumble.
A third round pick in April’s draft, Willis had a solid preseason with the Titans where he beat out Logan Woodside to earn the backup quarterback spot on the roster behind Tannehill. During the preseason, Willis completed 28 of 51 passes for 317 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception while rushing 14 times for 159 yards and a touchdown.
Willis is the first Liberty quarterback to even make it onto an active NFL roster and will be the first to make a start in the NFL.
