Malik Willis will be taking the helm as QB1 for the time being while Jordan Love recovers from surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb. There’s no reason to believe Jordan won’t return by Week 1, in fact here he is talking to that point.
I certainly wish Jordan a speedy recovery, however, here’s 3 reasons why the Packers would be just fine should Jordan need more time.
1. He Has Stepped Up When His Number Was Called Before
Last season when we all collectively held our breath as Jordan went down with a knee injury, Malik went ahead and said, “Hold my beer!”
When Malik took the field last year he had not thrown a touchdown in his NFL career. Malik was drafted in the 3rd round back in 2022 and was sporting 3 interceptions from 3 starts and 11 appearances.
He would go on to win back to back games in Weeks 2 & 3 of the 2024 season for the Packers. Here’s the breakdown of his stats in those 2 victories.
Week 2 vs. Colts
Passing: 12/14 (85.7%), 122 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing: 6 carries, 41 yards, 0 TD
Week 3 vs Titans:
Passing: 13/19 (68.4%), 202 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing: 6 carries, 73 yards, 1 TD
I know I wasn’t the only one laughing and saying….
Don’t forget that before he stepped onto that field in 2024, he had just arrived in the building 2 weeks prior. Catering the offense to being run heavy to showcase Malik’s scrambling ability while feeding newly acquired Josh Jacobs the rock was nothing short of amazing to watch. Coupled with targeting high percentage throws the Packers adopted what has become known as the “Willis Playbook”.
To be honest I spent a lot of time after Jordan’s return wondering why this play style wasn’t carried over. While Love was the best 20+ yard passer in 2024 with 24 completions, the Packers would have benefited from not putting as much on his shoulders, not to mention how early they had him come back and play through injury, but that’s a topic for another day.
2. Entering Year 2
I was certainly vocal throughout the offseason in stating that I didn’t see why the Packers would trade Malik. While he had shown his potential, the market just didn’t seem there for another team to name him as their starter. That’s not to say that I don’t think he could be, I just didn’t see a team that would give fair value and snatch him up.
Opening The Playbook
HC Matt LaFleur gave high praise this week while speaking to the media about Malik’s growth in fundamentals and accuracy. He said that he has made a lot of great throws during training camp, and they are looking to build on that day by day.
LaFleur added that he had no other advice for Malik beyond, “Just be you.”
With another year under his belt and time to digest the full playbook, there will undoubtedly be more opportunities to showcase his talents. I will leave it to the man himself to describe how much comfier he is in year 2.
3. Malik Willis Is Already Respected By The Team
Last year as Willis led the Packers to back to back victories, the team had absolutely fallen in line behind him. It was widely reported that both sides of the ball spoke glowingly of Willis, and it showed. Having a backup quarterback that your starters trust as much as your QB1 is rare.
Josh Jacobs echoed these same feelings of confidence in Malik while talking with the press on Tuesday.
I also believe this sentiment extends to the fan base. I don’t think too many people in Packer Nation would be worried if they saw Willis listed as the starter in Week 1. In fact, there were folks already calling for him to take on the starting role permanently after that heartbreaking loss to the Eagles last year.
While I can’t agree with the above opinion, I certainly understand folks being bought in on Malik’s talent.
With proven success, a wider range of offensive looks now available, and a team that is rallied around him, Malik Willis is a godsend for this Packers squad.
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