Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s comments about the team drafting Malik Willis generated a lot of attention earlier this month and he revisited them when he spoke to reporters from OTAs on Tuesday.
Tannehill said earlier this month that he doesn’t think it’s “my job to mentor” Willis before adding that it’s a “great thing” if Willis learns from him along the way. Responses to the comment ran all over the spectrum, but Tannehill said on Tuesday that he took issue with anyone who thought it was disrespectful to Willis or that he was a bad teammate.
He said he reached out to Willis after the press conference to tell him that he will be a great teammate to the rookie, who he called a great player and person that he’s enjoyed getting to know the last few weeks.
“I meant no disrespect to Malik or anything close to that. We’ve been in constant communication since he was drafted, through the madness that ensued after my last press conference. . . . We’re happy to have him in the room. Really just disappointed in how things got spun and twisted a little bit,” Tannehill said.
Willis said all was cool with Tannehill a couple of weeks ago and sent the same message on Tuesday, so there isn’t too much more meat on the bone when it comes to this topic. When the quarterback succession plans return to the forefront will have a lot to do with how Tannehill performs and Willis develops in the months to come.
