The Tennessee Titans will wrap up their preseason at home against the New England Patriots Friday evening. One of the major summer storylines for Mike Vrabel’s squad has been the QB2 spot behind starter Ryan Tannehill.
Both rookie Will Levis and second-year signal caller Malik Willis saw time in the preseason opener. This past week against the Minnesota Vikings saw Willis take every snap under center due to a thigh injury Levis has been dealing with.
That will likely be the case against New England, too. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Levis will sit out his second consecutive game. This means Willis now has to be seen as the odds-on favorite to earn the top backup job in Nashville.
A third-round pick out of Liberty back in 2022, Willis struggled last week. He completed 10-of-17 passes for 85 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The youngster also added 91 rushing yards on 11 attempts, displaying his dual-threat ability.
Willis’ likely ascension to QB2 status in Tennessee is surprising in that he was clearly on the roster bubble heading into training camp. A solid preseason opener (16-of-25 passing, 189 yards) coupled with Levis’ injury has changed the dynamics some.
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As for Levis, he was a projected first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after a stellar final season with Kentucky. However, he fell all the way to the Titans with the 33rd pick in the annual event. Reports during the offseason and early stages of training camp were split as it relates to the 24-year-old signal caller.
All of this comes with Tennessee set to rely on Tannehill for another season as its starter. He’s seen regression in recent seasons and was on the chopping block early in the offseason. The former Pro Bowler is entering the final year of his contract and is seen as a stopgap option, making the battle for QB2 that much more important for the Titans.