GREEN BAY, Wis. — Matt LaFleur's tone after Sunday's decisive victory over the Baltimore Ravens seemed to indicate that he was in no way, shape or form content with the Green Bay Packers' backup quarterback battle.
LaFleur also added that he and general manager Brian Gutekunst typically reach a consensus on roster decisions during the league-mandated cutdown period, saying, "We're in constant communication. There's gonna be some very tough decisions and sometimes, I'm like, 'Man, I'm glad I don't have to make that decision.'"
They both appear to agree that the No. 2 job behind Jordan Love needed a significant upgrade.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, they'll receive that upgrade in the form of Malik Willis, a former third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans. The Packers are sending a 2025 seventh-round selection in exchange for Willis' services.
Drafted at No. 86 overall in 2022, the Liberty product in Willis was brought aboard to serve as Ryan Tannehill's backup and potentially even take the reins as the starting quarterback down the road. He was regarded at one point as one of the top quarterbacks of his class, some pundits even speculating that he could wind up as a top-10 pick. That would be in a perfect world—instead Willis slid into the depths of day two, and then the following spring, the Titans spent a second-round pick on Kentucky's Will Levis, their current starter. They also signed Mason Rudolph, a seven-year veteran. The writing was on the wall for Willis, who was likely going to be released regardless of how well he performed in the preseason.
Willis appeared in eight games as a rookie and started three, completing just south of 51 percent of his passes for three interceptions. He has yet to throw a regular-season touchdown pass since entering the league, and if the Packers have it their way, that won't change. Willis is still very much an unknown with just 66 career pass attempts under his belt—fewer than the 83 Love had before the Packers anointed him as their full-time starting quarterback.
Through the Titans' three preseason games, Willis completed 20 of his 27 passing attempts for 205 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He attempted two passes of 20-plus yards and completed both of them for 58 yards. Even more impressively, he was five-of-six against the blitz for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 101 yards. He'll slide right into the backup quarterback job in Green Bay without much hassle—the team has already had its fair share of both Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt this summer.
Clifford completed 22 of his 43 pass attempts for 207 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also struggled mightily during training camp, tossing at least one interception in what felt like every practice. Pratt hasn't been much better, or at least good enough to supplant Clifford as the favorite for the No. 2 job. He completed 23 of his 35 pass attempts for 178 yards, one touchdown and the interception he threw this past Saturday against the Ravens.
After the interception, Pratt threw himself into the line of fire and attempted to make a tackle during the return, winding him in the process.
"It was a good lesson for him," LaFleur said of Pratt's efforts after a costly mistake. "You don't have to go like you're running down on kickoff to make that tackle."
Clifford faced pressure on essentially every dropback versus the Ravens' defensive front. He started the game completing just one of his first seven pass attempts with that lone completion being a 13-yard strike to Malik Heath on the third play from scrimmage. He finished the day six-of-14 for 53 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown pass to Heath on a fourth-down conversion in the third quarter.
Pratt, meanwhile, was much more efficient when it was his turn under center. He completed eight of his 12 attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown—a beautifully thrown fade into the end zone to Bo Melton for an 18-yard score—but the interception put a damper on his outing.
Willis' arrival essentially pushes both Clifford and Pratt to the practice squad, or perhaps one or the other will be released by Tuesday. There isn't a world where the Packers wind up carrying three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster. Since LaFleur arrived in 2019, they've carried just two quarterbacks every single season with the exception of 2020. They had just drafted Love with a first-round pick and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time, intended to essentially redshirt his entire rookie season. He didn't dress for a single game and the Packers' backup quarterback duties were handled by Tim Boyle.
