Titans head coach Mike Vrabel had not made a choice about who the team’s backup quarterback will be when he spoke to reporters last week and the status quo remains in place with less than a week to go until the opener.
Malik Willis got a lot more work in the preseason because Will Levis missed the final two games with a thigh injury, but the second-round pick is set to return to practice this week. Vrabel said at his press conference that the team will see how he is and what the game plan for the week would ask of a backup before making a call about who will be behind Ryan Tannehill.
“A lot of it is based on the game plan, about how we feel can step in there and help us,” Vrabel said. “Will’s been out a little bit, excited to get him back this week and continue with Malik’s maturity. We’ll kind of see where it goes at the end of the week.”
If there’s no formal announcement about the No. 2 quarterback this week, the release of the team’s inactive list 90 minutes before kickoff against the Saints could serve the purpose. A third quarterback can still dress and play on an emergency basis if they are inactive, so the Titans would make their plans clear if Willis or Levis is inactive this weekend.