Report: Titans' Will Levis to Start vs. Falcons over Malik Willis with Tannehill Hurt

Rookie second-round pick Will Levis is reportedly in line to start at quarterback for the Tennessee Titans against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Titans are "preparing" Levis to start in place of injured veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said both Levis and Malik Willis would play in Tannehill's absence, but Levis will reportedly get the first crack at being the starter.

Rapoport (h/t Tom Brew of Sports Illustrated) reported Sunday that Tannehill suffered a high ankle sprain in the team's Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in London, and he was still in a cast during the Titans' bye week, rendering him unlikely to play in Week 8.

Levis entered the 2023 NFL draft as one of four quarterbacks widely considered to be slam dunk first-round picks, along with Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson.

While Young, Stroud and Richardson were all taken within the first four picks, Levis fell sharply down the board and had to wait until Day 2 to hear his name called when Tennessee took him 33rd overall in the second round.

The Titans had already used a third-round pick on Willis in 2022, but after he failed to impress as a rookie, Tennessee brought in additional competition behind Tannehill.

Tannehill, 35, started the first six games this season and largely struggled, posting a 2-4 record and completing 62.0 percent of his passes for 1,128 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions.

Willis has been serving as the primary backup, and he stepped in when Tannehill got hurt against Baltimore, going 4-of-5 for 74 passing yards and rushing for 17 yards on three carries.

As a rookie last season, Willis appeared in eight games and made three starts, going 1-2. He completed just 50.8 percent of his passing attempts for 276 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions, and also rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Levis has yet to see any regular-season playing time in his young career, but the 6'4", 229-pound signal-caller seems to be a more polished passer than Willis.

After beginning his college career at Penn State, Levis transferred to Kentucky and spent his final two collegiate seasons with the Wildcats.

Those two seasons told the story of his inconsistency, as he threw for 2,826 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2021, and followed it up with 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 picks in 2022.

Levis also rushed for 376 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021 before remarkably finishing with -107 rushing yards and just two touchdowns the following season.

A lack of protection from the offensive line was a huge issue for Levis during his final college season, and he will undoubtedly need some help from his blockers in order to succeed in his first NFL start Sunday.

It also seems likely that Vrabel and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly will cook up a run-heavy gameplan featuring plenty of Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears to take some of the pressure off Levis.

Still, Levis is being thrust into a difficult position since Sunday feels like close to a must-win game for a Titans team in last place in the AFC South at 2-4, and trailing the division-leading Jacksonville Jaguars by 2.5 games.