After head coach Mike Vrabel was unnecessarily secretive about it for far too long, the Tennessee Titans revealed on Sunday that second-year quarterback Malik Willis has won the backup job over rookie signal-caller Will Levis.
Did the Titans come out and directly announce it? No, but we were able to draw that conclusion from their list of inactives, which included Levis and not Willis.
While Levis is listed as inactive, he will still dress as the third quarterback thanks to a new rule that allows teams to carry an emergency signal-caller without having them count toward the limit of active players.
He can only play if both Ryan Tannehill and Willis get hurt, though.
#Titans inactives:
QB Will Levis (3rd QB)
WR Colton Dowell
CB Tre Avery
Edge Caleb Murphy
OL Dillon Radunz
OL Jaelyn Duncan
DL Jayden Peevy
–So Malik Willis wins the battle for No. 2 QB. As third QB, Levis will only be able to play if both Tannehill and Willis are hurt.— John Glennon (@glennonsports) September 10, 2023
Willis winning the job isn’t much of a surprise at this point. Levis missed time in training camp and the final two preseason games due to injury, and Willis showed a ton of improvement throughout the offseason.
That said, the gap between Willis and Levis wasn’t exactly huge, so there’s still a chance that Levis passes Willis on the depth chart at some point.
Mike Vrabel asked why Malik Willis as No. 2 QB:
Noted Will Levis' missed time with lower body injured. Said #Titans are happy to have them both. Excited for Malik, see how he can help them win
— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) September 10, 2023
But for now, Willis will be the first man off the bench if Tannehill gets hurt, which, of course, we hope never happens.
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