The Tennessee Titans got an extended look at Malik Willis on Saturday night as they shake out the depth chart for their quarterbacks with the 2023 NFL season approaching.

All 22 teams playing in preseason games on Saturday used at least two quarterbacks, except the Titans, who had Willis go all the way under center in a 24-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

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With second-round rookie Will Levis sustaining what has been reported as a lower-body injury at practice on Thursday, Tennessee chose to have Willis take all the snaps for its offense on Saturday rather than play starter Ryan Tannehill.

“I thought there were some good things,” Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said of what he saw from Willis. “I think, obviously, put the ball in harm’s way, but I saw him progress through. I saw him make some plays when there was some time. We had some drops that hurt him, so it’s a collective group when you talk about quarterback play, especially young-quarterback play. I think there were some cool things in the second half when guys gave him some time. …

“And then I liked his decisiveness and using his athletic ability and commit when he did decide to scramble. That has to be part of his game. He’s such a dynamic player. As opportunities present themselves, whether it’s a 30-yard scramble down the sidelines or a 30-yard completion, that’s 30 yards, so a lot of things to improve, but I thought sitting there and getting those guys operating in the four-minute was really good.”

The former Auburn quarterback completed 10-of-17 passes for 85 yards with one touchdown and one interception and ran for 91 yards on 11 carries in the game. The touchdown pass and 68 of the rushing yards came in the second half, when the Titans overcame a 9-7 halftime deficit at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

In the first half, Tennessee’s offense had two three-and-outs followed by a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive for the first points of the game. A punt and an interception ended the Titans’ next two first-half possessions.

After a three-and-out to start the second half, the Titans put together consecutive touchdown drives of 61 and 53 yards, with Willis breaking a 26-yard run in the first scoring series.

After former UAB standout DeWayne McBride scored his first pro touchdown to cut Tennessee’s lead to eight points, the Titans ran out the final 5:50 on the clock.

“I think the first half, we just had a little few details to clean up,” Willis said. “Second half, we came out and everybody was violent, physical, and we went out there and scored some points, so that was good.”

Willis threw only six passes in the second half, although one went to running back Julius Chestnut for a touchdown with 12:21 to play. After halftime, Willis ran eight times for 68 yards.

“At first, I was trying to make sure I was staying in the pocket, just making sure I give everybody an opportunity,” Willis said. “And sometimes, he’s telling me maybe me getting out of there is better than throwing the checkdown. But that’s just going to be me finding the balance between that.”

Last season as a third-round rookie, Willis backed up Tannehill, joining the Titans after two seasons at Liberty following his 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 2022.

With Tannehill injured, Willis started 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 Tennessee chose to start Joshua Dobbs after signing him from the Detroit Lions’ practice squad on Dec. 21.

The Titans will conclude their preseason schedule against the New England Patriots at 7:15 p.m. CDT Friday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. NFL Network will televise the game.

Levis warmed up before Saturday night’s game, but the Titans ruled him out and turned the offense over to Willis. In a 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears on Aug. 12 in the preseason opener, Willis played 42 snaps and Levis played 30.

Tennessee will start its regular-season schedule on the road against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 10.

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