Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis might get a much-needed second chance under new coach Brian Callahan.
-- Photo By George Walker Iv | ApWhen Brian Callahan was introduced as the Tennessee Titans new head coach last week, it was no surprise that he was excited to work with Will Levis, who will enter his first full offseason as the team’s starting quarterback.
Callahan heaped loads of praise on Levis for his toughness and physical skills and said he is eager to help Levis get the most of his talents as the Titans try to turn him into a franchise quarterback.
Beyond questions about Levis, Callahan was asked general questions about his feelings on quarterback play, having had experience coaching the likes of Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow.
The forgotten man in the Titans’ long-awaited embracing of the passing game is Malik Willis, who finished his second year with the Titans with plenty more questions than answers about his potential as an NFL quarterback as he sunk to third on the depth chart.
It was evident that former head coach Mike Vrabel, offensive coordinator Tim Kelly and the offensive staff had pretty much moved on from Willis after seeing his scattered decision-making in a relief outing against Baltimore in London after Ryan Tannehill was injured.
But with Levis entrenched as the starter, and Tannehill about to exit as a free agent, the Titans have a decision to make about who backs up Levis in 2024.
Chances are, Callahan and general manager Ran Carthon will scour the free agent market and maybe find a journeyman such as Drew Lock or Tyrod Taylor to back up Levis and be a veteran presence in the quarterback room.
But what of Willis, who in two years of spot duty has yet to throw a touchdown pass or for 100 yards in a game?
Though the coach/general manager combo that drafted him is gone, the situation might give the former Liberty star a new lease on life.
Callahan has a history of coaching quarterbacks who were a bit more challenging. It’s easy for a coach to have Peyton Manning or Joe Burrow, both of whom he has worked with, but it’s more impressive to look at the job Callahan did this year with untested Jake Browning.
Callahan was able to put Browning, who had never thrown a regular-season pass, in position to lead the Bengals to a 4-3 record with 12 TD passes once Burrow was lost to injury. He says communication was the key to bringing the former Washington signal caller up to speed.
“Being able to hear what quarterbacks are comfortable with, what they like. The offense is always going to have enough plays. There’s always going to be enough scheme,” Callahan says. “You want to know what the quarterbacks feel great about. And Jake was incredible with his ability to communicate what he liked, we put it in. We’ll put those things in for him so he could have success.
“And that’s part of what fosters a great quarterback room is the communication between myself, the coordinator, quarterbacks coach and the quarterbacks in the room, is knowing what they like and what they do well,” Callahan continues. “We try to do as much of that as possible. So, if a quarterback says, ‘I don’t like something,’ we’re not going to use it, we’re not going to call it. And that to me is the most critical part.”
Long before getting Browning ready, Callahan was an offensive quality control coach in Denver under Mike McCoy, the offensive coordinator in 2011. The quarterback that year was Tim Tebow.
Callahan apparently was tasked with finding some of the RPO concepts that Tebow had succeeded with in college and bringing those to McCoy, who then tailored the offense for Tebow in midseason.
The result was a six-game win streak that got Denver to the playoffs and a first-round upset of Pittsburgh with Tebow throwing an overtime touchdown pass to win the game.
Callahan knows how to find what can get the most out of a quarterback – even unconventional ones. As excited as everyone is for Callahan to work with Levis, his arrival might also salvage Willis’ career at least enough to be a functional backup.