Should the Packers cash in?
The Green Bay Packers acquired Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a seventh-round pick just days before the regular season. After spending all summer toggling between god-awful options behind Jordan Love, the Packers finally bit the bullet and added a real backup quarterback.
As fate would have it, that investment paid almost immediate dividends. Jordan Love went to the ground with an ankle injury in the waning seconds of Green Bay’s season opener. Willis is now 2-0 in Love’s stead, including a victory over his former team this past Sunday. In a 30-14 victory over the wayward Titans, Willis completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. He added another 76 yards plus a score on the ground.
It was an efficient and effective dual-threat afternoon for Willis, who has been all Green Bay fans could’ve hoped for through two weeks. The job of a backup is to keep the offense afloat. Not necessarily to dominate at the highest level, but to keep games competitive until the starter returns. Going 2-0, even against mediocre competition, is a major accomplishment for Willis.
A lot of folks were skeptical of Willis, who couldn’t break through in a deep Tennessee QB room, but right about now, the Titans are probably looking at Willis’ success with a jealous eye. He has been flat-out better than Will Levis.
While Green Bay has surely appreciated Willis’ pinch-hit productivity over the last couple weeks. Jordan Love is nearing his return in Week 4’s showdown with the Vikings. That gives Green Bay a golden opportunity to strike while the iron is hot and squeeze assets out of Willis with another trade. There’s always risk involved with such a maneuver — Love could get hurt again — but milking assets out of your backup QB contract is generally solid business.
Here are a few sensible trades.
3. Dolphins desperately need somebody else behind Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins continue to await a clear recovery timeline for Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered his fourth documented concussion in Week 2. In his stead, the Dolphins are presently choosing between (the now-injured) Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle, neither of whom should be taking consistent snaps for an alleged contender.
Willis has proven his baseline competence these past couple weeks. His mobility would add a new dynamic to Mike McDaniel’s vaunted offense, and it’s hard to mess up throwing the football to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De’Von Achane out of the backfield. Thompson and Boyle are proof that it can be bungled, but Willis has legitimate arm talent and a penchant for extending plays. There’s something there.
Miami’s offense is notoriously complex and learning it on the fly midseason would be a challenge for Willis. We almost certainly wouldn’t see the full playbook, and there’s a good chance Tagovailoa is back in the saddle before too long. But, in the meantime, Willis is still a clear upgrade over the Dolphins’ current options, no matter how pared down the play-calling is.
If Tagovailoa is forced to miss an extended period of time — or if he chooses to of his own volition, which would be completely warranted — Miami needs a stable option. This is a roster built for the postseason. There’s no point in wasting a season.
2. Raiders could avoid the lesser of two evils between Gardner Minshew-Aidan O’Connell
The Las Vegas Raiders had the distinct honor of getting blown out by the Carolina Panthers last week. We can’t exactly blame Gardner Minshew for Andy Dalton’s remarkable proficiency or Carolina’s 36-point output, but we can blame him for a completely anemic Raiders offense. The Panthers haven’t stopped anybody all season. It helps when the Panthers’ offense can actually sustain drives and keep the defense off the field, but still, the optics of that loss were terrible for Minshew and Las Vegas.
Antonio Pierce hinted as a potential QB switch after Aidan O’Connell captained the final drive, but Minshew will get the nod again in Week 4. Minshew is fine — he’s a totally adequate journeyman who made the Pro Bowl just last season — but with injuries piling up and a weak O-line in front of him, it’s fair to wonder if Minshew has a path to success in Las Vegas.
O’Connell is fine. He wasn’t terrible as a rookie, which in and of itself is a distinction among quarterbacks, but he still has decision-making flaws that are keeping Minshew in the QB1 slot. Rather than choosing between two completely milquetoast options, Las Vegas should consider bringing in fresh legs and a new arm.
Not to drive the Willis hype train off the rails, but mobile quarterbacks who don’t turn the football over are all the rage in today’s NFL. He isn’t the next Josh Allen, but Willis is still 25 with fairly limited exposure at the professional level. The Titans just had too much talent in front of him. Now that Willis has seized his opportunity in Green Bay, there’s reason to believe he could benefit a team in Las Vegas’ situation. It’s worth a shot.
1. Steelers can sidestep Russell Wilson drama with a simple swap
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 with Justin Fields under center, which has created plenty of buzz about what the future holds for Russell Wilson. The veteran and nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback was named starter at the end of the preseason, but a lingering calf injury has forced him out of action. Fields has done little to dissuade the Steelers’ coaching staff from sticking with him, even if Russ has more experience.
Wilson’s name and image alone dredge up a certain level of controversy, especially when he’s riding the bench. That is noise the Steelers don’t need if Fields is the full-time starter. It could benefit all parties involved if Russ gets traded. And, while Russ probably doesn’t want to ride the bench behind a star quarterback like Jordan Love, he’s just not in a position to really control his destiny.
The Packers offer Russ a path to Super Bowl contention and the chance to lead a far more competent offense if disaster strikes and Love gets hurt again. The Steelers, meanwhile, hand the reins over to Fields while still keeping his feet close to the fire. Are we sure Willis isn’t better than Fields? This trade keeps the competition element alive in the Steelers QB room with none of the drama baked into rostering (and potentially benching) Russell Wilson, a former Super Bowl champ.
This trade has the chance to work out amicably for both sides. The Steelers have another dual-threat, run-heavy QB to game plan around in Fields’ stead, should that become necessary. We don’t hear much talk of the stylistic differences between Wilson and Fields, but Willis aligns far more closely to the latter. Being able to run the same play packages for Willis if he spells Fields could help maintain continuity in the Pittsburgh offense.
Is this trade essential? Maybe not, but it does remove a dark cloud from the Steelers organization and keep a competent backup behind Jordan Love, while also recouping draft capital for Green Bay.