NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The duel for the Tennessee Titans' backup quarterback position is one of the most intriguing position battles for the team in training camp.
Second-year quarterback Malik Willis and rookie Will Levis have both shown promise, but they both have room for improvement. Which is something they tend to push each other toward.
Willis started Saturday's preseason opener against the Chicago Bears by leading the offense on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that he capped off with a 2-yard touchdown run. Levis was one of the first to congratulate Willis when he came to the sideline.
"The quarterback room needs to be competitive but not combative," quarterbacks coach Charles London said. "They support each other, and they're genuinely happy for each other when those guys succeed."
The two quarterbacks alternated series in the 23-17 loss for the most part. Levis played consecutive series in the second and third quarters, and Willis played back-to-back series in the fourth. The snaps were distributed fairly evenly with Willis playing 42 (58.3%) and Levis playing 30.
The unique situation comes into play because veteran starter Ryan Tannehill is the only other quarterback on the roster. Though, while he hasn't played in the preseason in the last couple of years, this is the first time there's been a competition like this behind him.
Coach Mike Vrabel stepped aside and gave assistant head coach/defensive line coach Terrell Williams the opportunity to be the head coach for the game. It allowed Vrabel to evaluate without worrying about managing the game. The decision to rotate the quarterbacks was made during a Thursday coaches meeting led by Williams. Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly and London relied on the flow of the game to determine how the rotation went, leaving each quarterback anxious to hear their number called to go in.
"I'm not sure how often other teams do it," Kelly said of the rotational game plan. "We used it, and it worked for us."
Vrabel said the rotation was similar to some of the situations either player could face as a backup during the regular season where they have to go out and execute without warning if they are rushed onto the field because the starter isn't available.
Right now, there isn't a large degree of separation between Willis and Levis, but Willis seems to have a slight lead after the first preseason game.
Willis completed 16 out of 25 pass attempts for 189 yards and was intercepted once, and he had three carries for 22 yards and the score. Willis also showed great poise as he orchestrated a 60-yard drive that resulted in a 37-yard field goal by Caleb Shudak just before halftime.
The Titans have used a lot of their practice periods to focus on effectively executing the two-minute offense. Those periods prepared Willis for that exact situation Saturday.
"It's awesome when you can do something in practice and continuously rep stuff and get the opportunity in a game to take advantage of it," Willis said.
"That's what you would hope to expect from a second-year quarterback," Williams added.
The biggest difference so far for Willis is his comfort level. It was a big adjustment for him as a rookie. Willis finished last season with a 1-3 record when standing in for an injured Tannehill.
In college, Willis worked out of the shotgun mainly and the verbiage in the huddle was much more abbreviated, but now in Year 2, the former third-round pick feels like "he's speaking the same language" as opposed to last season when everything was so foreign to him.
That comfort has turned into confidence.
"It's the way he walks in the building kind of bopping around," Vrabel said of Willis. "He's there, he's engaged. You hear him, you see him."
On the field, Willis has done a better job working through his progressions, so far. Vrabel said he'd never want to limit Willis' ability to break off a long run with his legs and likes what he's seen in Willis' progression to also locate a receiver for what would be bigger gain.
Levis, who finished the day 9-of-14 passing for 85 yards, is also capable of making plays on the move. He had one interception in his debut. Levis has been working to put better touch on the ball to give his receivers a chance for yards after the catch. The improvement is starting to show for the second-round pick.
"He's throwing with different speeds and layering the football or being able to use his arm talent when he has to and put it in there in tight windows," Vrabel said.
A 21-yard completion to Racey McMath against Chicago was a good sign of improvement for Levis. The play-action pass hit McMarth in stride before he gained another 11 yards after catch.
Although he played in a more pro style scheme at Kentucky, Levis is facing similar struggles to Willis as he adjusts to the NFL.
"It's really just repetition," Levis said. "We need to get those reps with the new language and get more comfortable with that. But I definitely think I've shown some improvement."
The backup competition will continue this week as the Titans travel to the Minnesota Vikings for joint practices, but Vrabel wasn't committal on if the split tactic would be deployed come Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"That's just the way we decided to do it [against the Bears]," Vrabel said. "May do it differently next week, may not. I'm not sure. But that's what we felt like was best."