As Cam Ward takes the reins in Tennessee, a former starter struggles to reclaim his trajectory after a dramatic collapse and benching defined his previous tenure.
The Tennessee Titans are in a better place than they once were at quarterback.
They have Cam Ward, who is poised to make a name for himself in 2026 and prove he's capable of being a franchise quarterback. Mitchell Trubisky is expected to be the backup with his multiple years of NFL experience.
It wasn't too long ago that the Titans were in a tough spot with veteran Ryan Tannehill in 2022.
Tannehill had a meteoric rise with the Titans when he joined them in 2019. He took over for Marcus Mariota halfway through his first season, throwing for 2,742 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.
He made the Pro Bowl and was voted as the AP Comeback Player of the Year.
Then, he became the full-time starter in 2020. He missed one game, but threw for 3,819 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
His play then started to decline in 2021, when he finished with 3,734 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
He didn't play a full season in 2022, suffering a season-ending ankle injury after 12 games. He had already missed two games due to a previous ankle injury in the same season and was unable to play after his second one.
Malik Willis was the backup for the Titans that year. He was a third-round pick by Tennessee in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Liberty.
It became clear pretty early on that the rookie wasn't ready for the NFL. He started two games after Tannehill went down with his first ankle injury.
He managed the game well enough for the Titans to win 17-10 over the Houston Texans. He threw for 55 passing yards and completed 6-of-10 passes with one interception.
The game that really showed how unfit he was to start in the NFL was the following matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Willis looked like a deer in headlights, finishing with 80 passing yards on 5-of-16 completions in a 20-17 overtime loss.
Tannehill eventually came back in Week 10 against the Denver Broncos, and the Titans went on a two-game losing streak. Then, the Titans lost their next four games.
Tannehill's injury came against the Los Angeles Chargers, which was the fourth straight loss for the Titans.
Willis started the next game against the Texans, which the Titans lost 19-14. He finished with 99 passing yards and two interceptions.
After that showing, the Titans benched Willis in favor of veteran and former Tennessee Volunteers QB Josh Dobbs, but even he couldn't get them wins. The Titans went 7-10 that year, despite being 7-3 and in control of the AFC South at one point.
Tannehill was back as the starter in 2023 but was benched in favor of Will Levis. Thinking they had found their QB of the future in Levis, the Titans moved on from both Willis and Tannehill after that season.
Willis headed to the Green Bay Packers, where he had to sit behind starter Jordan Love. In the two seasons he spent there, Willis threw for 972 passing yards and six touchdowns in 11 games played with three starts.
The former Titans quarterback had a revival with the Packers but still didn't get a chance to start. He now has that chance at the Miami Dolphins.
This offseason, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley left to become the head coach of the Dolphins, and Willis followed him there as the starting QB.
Willis signed a three-year, $67 million contract with the Dolphins per Spotrac. With that kind of contract comes high expectations.
He is facing extreme pressure to perform now that he has the chance to be a starter in this league. For the Titans, this is an interesting situation.
If Willis performs well, the Titans might realize they made the wrong decision by letting him go and should've kept him around.
On the flip side, if Willis struggles, then the Titans were right to move on from him, even though keeping Levis around wasn't the best decision either. They could at least feel good about their current situation with Ward, knowing they had eventually found a better player.
This is going to be a massive year for Willis as he tries to prove he can be a starter in the NFL, and even more so to see if the Titans made the right or wrong decision.
