The Green Bay Packers learned one crucial lesson during training camp and their preseason games: they were severely lacking in quality quarterback depth behind starter Jordan Love. This is a much better situation than they were in last season when many were questioning if Love himself would be any good after the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. Fortunately, Love went out and had the best first season by a Green Bay starting quarterback in franchise history.
| Quarterback | Completion % | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Passer Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Love | 64.2% | 4,159 | 32 | 11 | 96.1 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 63.6% | 4,038 | 28 | 13 | 93.8 |
| Brett Favre | 64.1% | 3,227 | 18 | 13 | 85.3 |
Last season, Green Bay drafted Sean Clifford in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft to compete for the opportunity to be Love’s backup. He won that competition over Alex McGough, who was relegated to the practice squad.
Green Bay Packers Quarterbacks Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt Struggled During Training Camp and Preseason Games
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
When training camp began, Love did not participate in practices right away as his contract extension was still being negotiated. While he was holding-in, Clifford got the majority of snaps with the first-team offense. It did not go well.
The defense dominated the offense each day that Clifford played the role of starting quarterback in practice. It was not until Love returned that the offense began to look anything like they did last season.
Michael Pratt, a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, did not fare much better.
Nor did either quarterback perform well in any of Green Bay’s preseason games. Per PFF, Clifford and Pratt were the two lowest-graded players in their 30-7 win over the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend.
The Green Bay Packers Acquire Quarterback Malik Willis in a Trade with the Tennessee Titans
With serious concerns over their backup quarterback position, the Packers decided that neither Clifford nor Pratt gave them enough confidence to be their fallback option if Love were to get hurt.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Green Bay has sent a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for quarterback Malik Willis:
QB trade: Titans are sending QB Malik Willis to the Packers in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick, per sources. Willis is likely to back up Jordan Love. pic.twitter.com/stzUJ7EvSc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 26, 2024
As Schefter notes, Willis will likely make the 53-man roster over Clifford and Pratt.
Willis was originally drafted by the Titans in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 11 games (three starts). In those games, he has completed 53.0% of his passes for 350 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Prior to being drafted, Willis played college football at Auburn and Liberty University. After not getting much playing time in SEC, he transferred to Liberty where he became the starting quarterback. In his junior season, his first at Liberty, he completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,260 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
As a senior in 2021, Willis completed 61.1% of his passes for 2,862 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
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