Titans' Malik Willis makes NFL debut, takes big hit on scramble
The Titans selected Willis in the third round
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Malik Willis made his professional debut on Monday night in the Tennessee Titans’ 41-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills and had his own "Welcome to the NFL moment."
With about 1:04 left in the third quarter, Willis scrambled to right trying to get one yard for a first down. However, he was stuck by Matt Milano. Willis was 1-for-4 with six passing yards. He also had 16 yards on the ground on four carries, but he lost a fumble.
Malik Willis, #7 of the Tennessee Titans, scrambles against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sept. 19, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The third-round pick out of Liberty replaced Ryan Tannehill after the veteran was only 11-for-20 with 117 yards and two interceptions.
"It's a long season, and obviously we were out of it at that point," Tannehill said after the game, via the team’s website. "(We) didn't want to subject myself and some of the guys to injury."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Malik Willis, #7 of the Tennessee Titans, scrambles against Shaq Lawson, #90 of the Buffalo Bills, during the third quarter of the game at Highmark Stadium on Sept. 19, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)
Titans coach Mike Vrabel also talked about getting the younger guys some playing time.
"We're just trying to get guy through this game. Nobody wants to go out there and lose that way, but I'm also a realist and I understand where we were at, and the situation that we were in," he said
"We were trying to take some guys (out) that I feel like are going to help us win next week, and everybody is valuable. I wanted to get Ben (Jones) out of there and Derrick and some other guys. I just felt like that was the time to get Malik in there and get Hassan (Haskins) in there and get some other guys in there."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, #17, reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in Orchard Park, New York. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
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The Titans have lost the first two games of the season. The team welcomes the Las Vegas Raiders into town on Sunday.