Titans' Malik Willis Has Made 'Glaring Improvement' This Offseason, Mike Vrabel Says

Malik Willis is likely to be the Tennessee Titans' third-string quarterback behind Ryan Tannehill and rookie Will Levis this upcoming season, but the second-year player has made a positive impression on his head coach this offseason.

"I thought Malik [Willis] came out of the spring with glaring improvement," Mike Vrabel told reporters on Tuesday.

Willis even came "very, very close" to earning an offseason award, Vrabel told reporters, though they ultimately went to Tannehill, offensive guard Corey Levin and tight end Thomas Odukoya.

"(We) can only give so many of them, but outstanding improvement from (Willis) in conditioning, in the weight room and on the field," he added.

There's little doubt that Tannehill and Levis will be on the roster. The former is the presumed starter going into the season, while the latter was the No. 33 overall pick and ostensibly the future at the position.

Willis' future is less secure, as teams don't always carry three quarterbacks on the active roster. There is still the chance that he could earn the backup gig, however.

In early June, Jim Wyatt of the team's website reported that Willis "outperformed Levis this offseason, and definitely showed improvement from a year ago."

And ESPN's Turron Davenport reported that Levis has "gone through some expected early bumps," though he added that the Kentucky product's "physical presence and arm strength are clear attributes."

As for Willis, he wrote that he showed "improvement this offseason and looked comfortable after having a season under his belt," and noted that the position battle for backup quarterback was one of the most intriguing on the team.

The issue for Willis is that he already had one dress rehearsal for the Titans and botched his lines.

He was thrust into starting duty last year for three games and floundered, with the team going 1-2 in those contests. In total, he threw for 276 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions, took 10 sacks and completed just 50.8 percent of his passes. He did rush for 123 yards and a score, however.

But it wasn't a strong first impression, and new general manager Ran Carthon drafted Levis in April, another indication that Willis' future might not be in Tennessee.

It's possible that Willis could still play his way into a backup role this year. It's just as possible that the Titans are very happy to offer positive reports on his offseason improvements, hoping to entice a team to give up solid assets in a trade for the young quarterback.

Either way, improvement from Willis is a win-win for Tennessee.