Because Tennessee had no intention of playing No. 1 quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the preseason and second-round rookie Will Levis sustained an injury, Malik Willis took all the snaps at QB in two of the Titans’ three preseason games.

The extra duty enabled Willis to lead the AFC in passing yards while also finishing sixth in rushing yards during the preseason.

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But that wasn’t enough to secure the backup job to Tannehill for the former Auburn quarterback yet after he held that spot last season as a rookie.

On Monday, Titans coach Mike Vrabel said the coaching staff hadn’t decide who the No. 2 QB would be for Tennessee’s season-opening game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

“I think a lot of it is based on the game plan, about who we feel like who would step in and help us,” Vrabel said. “Will’s been out a little bit but excited to get him back this week and continue with Malik’s maturity, and we’ll kind of see where it goes at the end of the week.”

Willis played the first half of the Titans’ preseason opener, leaving Tennessee’s 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears on Aug. 12 with a three-point lead. Willis then went all the way as the Titans defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24-16 on Aug. 19 and New England Patriots 23-7 on Aug. 25.

In the preseason, Willis completed 41-of-62 passes for 485 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 130 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries. But Vrabel took note of Willis’ four interceptions, too.

“Love the way that he competed — loved it,” Vrabel said after the victory over New England. “Got to eliminate the mistakes.”

Drafted in the third round in 2022 from Liberty, where he transferred after two seasons at Auburn, Willis completed 31-of-61 passes for 276 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 123 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries in his first NFL season.

Willis started in Tannehill’s place in a 17-10 victory over the Houston Texans on Oct. 30, a 20-17 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 6 and a 17-14 loss to the Texans on Dec. 18.

But Tannehill missed two other games last season with injuries, and the Titans chose to start Joshua Dobbs after signing him from the Detroit Lions’ practice squad on Dec. 21.

Then in the NFL Draft on April 28, Tennessee traded the 41st and 72nd selections in the 2023 draft and a third-round selection in the 2024 draft to the Arizona Cardinals for the 33rd and 81st picks, then chose Levis at No. 33.

Titans general manager Ran Carthon said last week he thought Tennessee was developing two capable backups for Tannehill, who is entering the final season of a four-year, $118 million contract.

“I thought Malik has grown,” Carthon said. “There were conversations had with Malik prior to me being hired that I was made privy to, and just watching him take that to heart, I thought he had a really good offseason, OTAs and prior to OTAs. He was never not in the building. He was never not here around town working and pulling guys with him and having the receivers with him, and I think that’s shown in his play on the field.

“And Will is continuing to grow. A rookie learning a new system, I think this is maybe the third or fourth offense that he’s been in in as many years, so he’s learning the NFL game, and I think the way he works, the way he fits into that room, I think he’ll be fine.”

The Titans kick off their 2023 regular-season schedule against the Saints at noon CDT Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.