Tennessee Titans football training camp observations: Malik Willis follows worst moment with best

Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis followed the biggest blunder of Saturday's Titans training camp practice with the biggest triumph.

In the final 11-on-11 team session, Willis' first throw ended in a fiasco. He tried to fit a pass into a tight window over the middle, but outside linebacker Rashad Weaver was lurking and leapt to intercept the pass, easily getting two hands on the ball as if it was targeted for him.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Weaver dropping into coverage was a new look Willis hadn't seen yet this camp and said the linebacker made "a great play" to get to the ball.

Willis rebounded, though. One play later, the second-year passer found veteran receiver Chris Moore streaking past cornerback Chris Jackson down the left seam of the field. Willis launched a perfectly placed deep ball and hit Moore in stride, leading him untouched into the end zone for what would've been a 75-yard touchdown.

"He came back and got everybody in the huddle and settled down and went on to the next situation, which was third down," Vrabel said. "Then he hit a big play."

Saturday wasn't the cleanest practice for the Titans' offense. Even wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins conceded that the defense won the day. Receivers, tight ends and running backs all struggled with drops while cornerbacks Kristian Fulton, Roger McCreary and Sean Murphy-Bunting all looked strong in coverage.

In 7-on-7 drills, quarterback Ryan Tannehill finished 3-for-6, Willis finished 2-for-4 and Will Levis finished 2-for-4. In full 11-on-11 drills, Tannehill went 3-for-5 and Willis went 2-for-4 but Levis was 5-for-5.

Here are more observations from the Titans' practice Saturday.

Tennessee Titans training camp observations: July 29

• The battle at right tackle rages on. Jamarco Jones and Chris Hubbard rotated and rookie Jaelyn Duncan took reps on the right side again while undrafted rookie John Ojukwu took more reps on the left. The pass rush wasn't as relentless as it was Friday but the defense should still be credited with three sacks in 24 11-on-11 plays. One of each of those sacks came against the first-, second- and third-team lines.

• Even though players aren't in full pads yet, there was more of an emphasis on run plays in team periods than there was the first two practices. Rookie Tyjae Spears made one of the best moves of camp, busting outside after traffic formed in the backfield and scooting to the sideline for a nice gain. Jonathan Ward and Julius Chestnut also found room outside for good runs, and star back Derrick Henry carried once and found a seam up the middle for what likely would have been a long gain had pads been on.

• Let's talk special teams! Kickers Caleb Shudak and Trey Wolff both were 5-for-6 on field goals. Shudak missed from 38 yards out and Wolff missed from 49 yards. Both connected from 53 yards on their longest try. In the punt return game, six players took reps as the deep returner: receiver Kyle Philips, receiver Kearis Jackson, receiver Mason Kinsey, defensive back Eric Garror, receiver Gavin Holmes and receiver Tre'Shaun Harrison.

• Saturday was the first practice fans were allowed to attend, and they looked particularly energized by Hopkins' presence. On one rep early in practice, Hopkins ran a simple out route against air, caught the pass and trotted downfield a little bit afterward. One fan was enthused enough to yelp a high-pitched whoop as soon as Hopkins caught the ball.

One video before we go

Second-year receiver Treylon Burks made the catch of the day, blazing past Fulton on an in-breaking route in individual drills and diving into the end zone to corral a long throw. It's the second straight day Fulton has been on the receiving end of a highlight moment; he lost a contested battle against Hopkins on a tight-window pass Friday. Like the Hopkins catch, though, this highlight looks a lot more like Burks doing something right than Fulton doing something wrong.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans football practice observations: Malik Willis good, bad