Five observations from the Tennessee Titans’ 13-3 preseason victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night at Nissan Stadium:
1. Malik Willis needs more time
It’s fun to watch Malik Willis play quarterback because he makes anything seem possible. Trouble is, anything being possible isn’t ideal for a meticulously sculpted NFL offense. Willis continues to lean too much on his own improvisational ability and not enough on the system he’s being asked to run. And thus, after the Titans’ first three possessions, you looked down and noticed that Willis had completed only one pass. By halftime, he was 6-of-15.
Yes, the pass protection was shaky. Not his fault. Yes, Willis did make plays anyway. He improved as the first half progressed. He zipped a red-zone fastball to Chig Okonkwo for a touchdown. He turned heads on a 24-yard scramble – it looked like he faked out a would-be tackler merely by changing pace – and with a few throws on the run.
But the Titans surely wanted to see more efficiency in the pocket, to see Willis make quicker decisions and cut throws loose more confidently. In starting two preseason games, Willis just hasn’t done enough for the Titans to be able to trust him in a regular-season game.
That’s not a failure on anyone’s part, by the way. Willis was drafted with the idea that he needed time. This preseason has confirmed that – along with Willis’ upside.
Meanwhile, backup Logan Woodside continued to get reduced reps Saturday against the Buccaneers. And he threw an interception on an underthrown pass.
2. Kyle Philips is ready to help
A constant of Titans’ training camp has been rookie receiver Kyle Philips. Most days, he has done something on the practice field to grab your attention. So it wasn’t surprising to see him do that against the Buccaneers.
Philips looked dangerous as a punt returner, nearly breaking one return that went for 35 yards. Earlier in the first half, he lost track of where he was and unwisely fielded a punt near the goal line – and even that he turned into a nice return.
As a receiver, Philips was used a lot on third downs Saturday. And he showed up, getting his feet down on the sideline to snag a third-down throw from Willis.
It’s clear that Philips is going to be an impactful player for the Titans in 2022, much like it’s becoming clear the Titans got a steal drafting him in the fifth round.
3. Is Brett Kern’s job in jeopardy?
For years, the Titans have had one of the NFL’s best punters in Kern – who started Saturday and killed two punts inside the 20-yard line, same as usual. He’s 36 and makes good money for a punter. You still wouldn’t expect he’d be in danger of losing his spot.
But rookie Ryan Stonehouse from Colorado State is doing well. He obliterated his first punt 68 yards on Saturday after hitting a 60-yarder in Baltimore last week. Stonehouse has been holding field goals lately for Randy Bullock, and holder has been Kern’s job.
Even when Stonehouse mishandled a punt in the fourth quarter (yeah, that flub was a red flag), he managed to run to cover a fourth-and-5 and retain possession.
Stonehouse may not end up punting for the Titans this season, but there’s a good chance he’ll be punting for someone.
4. Good competition at linebacker
The Titans are taking a good, long look at some inside linebackers behind the starting tandem of David Long Jr., and Zach Cunningham in hopes of building depth at a thin spot.
With Monty Rice and Dylan Cole sidelined this preseason, rookies Chance Campbell and Jack Gibbens (an undrafted free agent) are each getting a lot of snaps in the middle of the defense. Gibbens, in particular, had a nice early tackle in which he stood up to Leonard Fournette.
And not to be forgotten, six-year NFL veteran Joe Jones intercepted a pass and returned it 38 yards Saturday.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Titans handle an important position, especially if Rice and Cole aren’t healthy and practicing again soon.
5. Quiet again for Treylon Burks
Similar to the Titans’ first preseason game, it’s hard to knock first-rounder Burks too much for only catching one pass. Because there weren’t a ton of passes being caught, period.
But in both preseason games, the Titans were obviously trying to get him to work. In the end, Burks played a lot more than he produced. At the very least, you’d have liked to see him touch the football a few more times, if only to gain confidence. That was a bit more alarming when considering that Burks hasn’t touched it often in practices, either.
Burks, by the way, finished the night with a wrap on his left leg. He missed some practice time this past week with what was believed to be a minor injury.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Gentry_Estes.