NFL Network speculated Titans traded up for QB Malik Willis out of fear Cowboys would take him

Last weekend marked the 2022 NFL Draft and the Dallas Cowboys are a lot deeper at plenty of positions. Of course, there are some spots that the Cowboys chose not to address. One example, Dallas did not take a running back. For what it’s worth, Stephen Jones said that the team considered taking one but ultimately made different selections instead.

Another spot where the Cowboys did not add by way of the draft is at quarterback. The team has Dak Prescott under contract for the foreseeable future and as the franchise quarterback it felt unlikely they would add a quarterback.

The Cowboys could have drafted a quarterback as a potential QB2 option to backup Dak Prescott. Dallas has Cooper Rush who has started one game throughout his career, a heroic victory he pulled off last season against the Minnesota Vikings.

But did they think about adding a quarterback during this draft?

NFL Network speculated that the Titans traded up for Malik Willis out of fear that the Cowboys would take him

The 2022 NFL Draft featured only one quarterback taken in the first round, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, appropriately to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a long ways until Desmond Ridder heard his name called by the Atlanta Falcons, and a bit longer until Malik Willis went to the Tennessee Titans. As far as the latter is concerned, his new team actually traded up for him and leapfrogged the Cowboys in the process to do so.

Willis would go at pick number 86 and two spots later Dallas took wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. While that all seemed pretty normal and chalk on Monday, it was speculated by NFL Network that the Titans could have jumped the way that they did partly in fear that Dallas may have wanted to draft Willis themselves.

To be frank, this is rather hard to believe. Prescott may have his critics but it feels safe to say that a majority of football fans are of the opinion that he is the team’s quarterback for the foreseeable future. While again it would make sense to find an option behind him to grow and develop, those projects are found late on Day 3 and not with a top 100 pick.

What’s more is at that point in the draft Dallas was starved for a wide receiver having only added Tyler Smith and De Williams. Jalen Tolbert made all of the sense in the world and Malik Willis wouldn’t have even been a left turn. He would have been a transformation to a different universe.

Typically we see prospects linked to the Cowboys prior to the draft in an effort to generate buzz around their name (the America’s Team effect). With the draft over it would seem weird to throw this out considering Malik Willis has a new home. Ian Rapoport is certainly a reputable NFL reporter so one has to wonder about the possibility that he floated out.

Ultimately it all seems impossible. But the draft is a crazy beast.