It only took the Tennessee Titans less than two hours until kickoff of the season opener to publicly name their second-string quarterback. Rookie Will Levis is on Tennessee's inactive list against the New Orleans Saints, meaning Malik Willis will be veteran starter Ryan Tannehill's backup on Sunday.

Willis and Levis battled throughout training camp and the preseason to open 2023 as the Titans' No. 2 quarterback. Coach Mike Vrabel was coy on the matter leading up to Week 1, suggesting that “gameplan” would be a deciding factor in naming his team's backup signal-caller.

“I think a lot of it is based on the gameplan,” he said last Monday, per Nick Suss of The Tennessean. “How we feel like who can step in there and help us. Will's been out a little bit but we're excited to get them back this week. And continue with Malik's maturity. And kind of see where it goes at the end of the week.”

Willis, a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, shined during the Titans' exhibition slate, leading all AFC quarterbacks with 485 passing yards while completing 66.1% of his throws. The 24-year-old also finished the preseason with four interceptions, though, a statistical resumé indicative of both his obvious all-around talent and remaining room to grow.

Levis, meanwhile, was sidelined by a quad injury over Tennessee's last two season games. Regarded as a potential top-10 pick leading up to 2023 NFL Draft, the former Kentucky star ultimately fell all the way out of the first round, the Titans ending his slide by trading up to draft Levis early in the second round.

Tennessee and New Orleans kickoff from the Superdome at 10:00 a.m. (PT).