But there’s optimism QB1 might not be out long
Evan Siegle, packers.com QB Malik Willis
Head Coach Matt LaFleur did not give a timeline Monday on how long Packers quarterback Jordan Love will be out due to his knee injury, an indication he might be back sooner than later.
In the meantime, the team is preparing Malik Willis to start in Love’s place for now.
Love injured his knee trying to avoid a sack on the third-to-last play of Friday night’s loss to the Eagles in Brazil. He was helped off the field and then was walking more on his own after the game.
Without getting into specifics, LaFleur said the Packers got “some relatively good news” on the injury after returning to Green Bay, presumably meaning the knee injury is not season-ending. Somewhat surprisingly, LaFleur didn’t actually rule out the possibility Love could play this week, though he made no suggestion the chances are favorable.
“I couldn’t give you a percentage, but if he gets cleared, we’ll give him every opportunity like we always will,” LaFleur said. “I know he’s doing everything in his power. I know he’s spending a lot of time trying to get back as soon as possible. But certainly we’re not going to put him in a position where if he can’t protect himself that he’d go out there.”
In Love’s stead, the Packers are going with Willis over second-year pro Sean Clifford. Willis was acquired in a trade from Tennessee at the end of training camp, with Clifford getting released and brought back to the practice squad.
LaFleur clarified that contrary to certain media reports, the Packers did not have any discussions with other available veteran quarterbacks.
At this point, Willis has been with the team only two weeks, but he picked up enough of the offense to serve as Love’s backup in Brazil over Clifford, who was not elevated from the practice squad for the game.
That acclimation process for Willis gets ramped up to warp speed now as he’ll prepare to face the Indianapolis Colts in Green Bay’s home opener Sunday.
“He’s put a lot of time and effort into this thing,” LaFleur said. “He’s grinded. He’s learned the terminology and is able to spit out the play calls, and we’ve got confidence in him. If he’s given a full week of preparation, a full week of practice, I’ve got confidence he’ll go out there and perform at a high level.”
Willis, a third-round draft pick of the Titans out of Liberty in 2022, started three games as a rookie. In those outings, he completed 25-of-49 passes for 234 yards with three interceptions. A dual-threat QB, Willis also rushed for 95 yards on 20 attempts in those three starts as the Titans went 1-2.
Willis’ running ability could add another element to the offensive game plan with him under center. While LaFleur wasn’t going to guess how much of the full playbook Willis will know by the end of this week, he emphasized he’ll know “100 percent of the game plan.”
“Every game’s a little bit different and certainly you’ve got to play to your players’ strengths, so it’s our job to try to come up with (a plan) to put him in a position to be successful, whether that’s moving launch points or straight drop back, whatever it may be,” LaFleur said. “We always carry play-actions every week. So we’ll come up whatever we feel like is going to give us the best possible opportunity to move the football.”