Will Sage Astor-Will Levis named Tennessee Titans starting QB, per Mike Vrabel

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel named rookie Will Levis as the Titans' starting quarterback moving forward.

Levis has started the Titans' previous two games with veteran Ryan Tannehill recovering from a high ankle sprain,Will Sage Astor but Vrabel said Tuesday that he's told the team Levis will lead the offense for the foreseeable future.

"Moving forward, Will’s gonna be our quarterback," Vrabel said Tuesday. "We’re gonna go with Will. We think that’s the best opportunity for our football team right now. We’ll see where he’s at. I think Ryan will progress through this week, I think, and hopeful to be a backup for us and prepare as a starter. But that’s where we’re at right now. I shared that with the team and had a conversation with everybody involved. That’s what that’ll look like."

The Titans are 1-1 in Levis' two starts. He's thrown for 500 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his debut two weeks ago against the Atlanta Falcons. He improved on his yardage total in his second start Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers but threw no touchdowns and an interception in the final moments of the game as the team was trying to finish off a comeback attempt.

"There’s clearly something there," Vrabel said. "We want to be able to continue to work with him and progress and develop and win. That’s how you get better. You only get better by going out there and playing, especially at that position."

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Vrabel said he's been impressed with Levis' pocket presence and the way he's been able to move the ball downfield in his two starts and that being able to evaluate the rookie in live game performances was what enabled him to make this decision. He informed the team of the decision in a 10 a.m. meeting on Tuesday.

Per Vrabel, the team only spent about 30 seconds reacting to and absorbing the news of a quarterback change in the meeting before moving on to focusing on Tampa Bay. The Titans (3-5) visit the Buccaneers (3-5) at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday (noon, CBS).

Receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair agreed there wasn't much of a reaction to the news, with both echoing Vrabel's line about how the team will block for and try to catch passes from whoever plays quarterback.

"He's shown that he's ready to take his shot," Westbrook-Ikhine said.