Titans Coach Mike Vrabel Says Both Malik Willis & Will Levis Will Play in Week 8 if No Tannehill

The Tennessee Titans are expected to be without their starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8 and according to head coach Mike Vrabel, the Titans are planning to play both quarterbacks.

Prior to the bombshell news of the Kevin Byard trade, the hottest talking point around the Tennessee Titans was the status of their starting quarterback job and who will fill it. With two young quarterbacks on the pine for the Titans, Ryan Tannehill's ankle injury in Week 6 presents an opportunity for the Titans to see the future.

The expectation coming in would be that the Titans would choose one of second-year player Malik Willis or rookie Will Levis to start in Tannehill's place. A quarterback would be decided and the team would build the weekly plan around that guy.

Apparently, that is not the case according to head coach Mike Vrabel who said at Tuesday's press conference that both quarterbacks would play in the game if Tannehill truly is confirmed as out for the week.

"Well, Ryan won't practice today," Vrabel announced. "We will see where he is at the end of the week and I'd imagine if Ryan can't play, I would anticipate both of those quarterbacks playing in the football game. Ryan is off his roller or walker or whatever he had and we will see where he is at the end of the week."

Both quarterbacks will play, but who will start? Vrabel wasn't willing to reveal.

"See what the game plan looks like," Vrabel admitted before pivoting back to Tannehill. "First off all, see where Ryan's at and then talk about what we may want to do throughout the course of the game."

The Titans haven't had Tannehill in practice for the past week though, giving both the young quarterbacks a shot over the bye week. Vrabel spoke about how they fared.

"Thought they looked good, thought they were efficient, thought they were excited to be out there," Vrabel explained. "Got some good work in, good throwing in. Another couple days of practice and then some much-needed speed work."

However, the point was raised that splitting reps like this could be detrimental for a young quarterback, but Vrabel wouldn't know if so.

"I don't know, I've never played quarterback or split reps," Vrabel admitted defiantly. "They were going to have to both prepare and be ready to go. I know they both will be, just like they did last week at practice and whatever it will be like this week until we see if Ryan is healthy."

Vrabel could be doing his typical press conference fibs to try and get a competitive advantage over the Atlanta Falcons, but admitting you don't know if splitting reps is a detriment to your young quarterbacks is quite the admission. 

Also, playing both quarterbacks brings you back to the classic saying, "if you have two quarterbacks, you have none." Titans fans should be hoping Vrabel was spinning lies on Tuesday.

Related Titans stories

• VRABEL ON BYARD TRADE: The Tennessee Titans traded long-time safety Kevin Byard on Monday and on Tuesday head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about the move and his relationship with Byard. CLICK HERE
• RANKING TITANS TRADE PIECES: After the trade of Kevin Byard, the Tennessee Titans could be looking to make more moves. If they continue to sell, here are some players who would make sense as viable options. CLICK HERE
• MOLDEN REPLACING BYARD: The Tennessee Titans were smart to trade Kevin Byard for draft picks, but now they have an open hole at safety that will need to be filled by third-year player Elijah Molden. CLICK HERE
• BYARD TRADE TOUGH & SMART: The Tennessee Titans made the first step in their rebuild on Monday, trading popular veteran safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles. It's hard to say goodbye to such a popular player, but rebuilds are hard and personal. CLICK HERE
• BYARD SAYS GOODBYE: The Tennessee Titans parted ways with a franchise legend when they traded Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. Byard took to social media to give a heartfelt goodbye to the organization and the fans. CLICK HERE
• BYARD TRADED TO EAGLES: The Tennessee Titans have made a move ahead of the trade deadline, sending star safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles for multiple draft picks and veteran safety Terrell Edmunds. CLICK HERE