Titans' Malik Willis, Will Levis Could Both Play vs. Falcons amid Tannehill Injury

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday that Malik Willis and Will Levis could both see time at quarterback in Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons if Ryan Tannehill is unavailable.

Tannehill is dealing with a high ankle sprain, so his status for Sunday is unclear. Willis previously came on for the 2019 Pro Bowler in Tennessee's Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The 2022 third-rounder's brief cameo wasn't encouraging. He went 4-of-5 for 74 yards but still looked ill-equipped to handle an NFL pass rush, getting sacked four times in 18 offensive snaps.

You can understand why Vrabel might have some reservations about using Willis as a starter. By hedging his bets, though, he's giving the impression he doesn't trust either Willis or Levis. It's the old cliché about how when you have two starting quarterbacks you actually have zero starting quarterbacks.

Broadly speaking, the trouble with this strategy is that it doesn't really work to anybody's benefit. Finding a rhythm is difficult for a quarterback if they're rotating out every few series, and they're bound to feel even more pressure because they'll think they're one bad mistake away from getting yanked.

Vrabel and the coaching staff won't learn that much about either Willis or Levis if they're only looking at a few quarters of work for each.

Perhaps Vrabel is merely attempting to gain whatever advantage he can by declining to name a replacement for Tannehill. He wants the Falcons to have to plan for both Willis and Levis.

Even in that scenario, however, many will argue it represents a lack of faith in the quarterback room beyond Tannehill.