Mike Vrabel Is Not Ready To Name Will Levis Titans' Starting QB

Will Levis has brought a new sense of hope to the Music City. The rookie has looked fantastic in his first two starts, and Tennessee Titans fans are excited to have — hopefully — found their quarterback of the future.

But pump the brakes, kids. Because head coach Mike Vrabel says he's not ready to name Levis the starter over veteran QB Ryan Tannehill.

"No, I'm not ready to do that yet," Vrabel told reporters Friday. "Think we'll have a conversation with the depth chart over the weekend, and we'll have the depth chart or something close to it available when we talk to you on Tuesday to be able to go through the moving parts and not only Ryan's health, but whatever there is going on on the offensive line, which there is coming out of that game."

Tannehill suffered a high ankle sprain in the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in London, and he's been out ever since. Even before injury, though, the 35 year old was struggling.

In six games this season, Tannehill has thrown six interceptions and only two touchdowns. He's been sacked 19 times, and his total QB rating (32.6) ranks dead last in the league.

Levis, on the other hand, has impressed in his first two starts. The former Kentucky Wildcat has raked up 500 passing yards and four touchdowns against only one interception. It's not a big enough body of work to hand him the keys to the franchise just yet. But it's certainly a good start and a breath of fresh air for a Titans team that was on the verge of total collapse.

Fans Upset With Mike Vrabel Over QB Depth Chart

Given Levis' strong start, Titans fans on social media were not happy with Vrabel's refusal to name him the starter moving forward.

But in the words of esteemed science denier Aaron Rodgers, "R-E-L-A-X."

Titans fans want their coach to anoint Will Levis immediately, and I get it. But Vrabel is just using classic coach speak. I cannot even pretend to be inside the head of an NFL head coach, but hear me out.

Vrabel knows it would be employment suicide to go back to Tannehill now. Not only because Levis looks to be the QB of the future in Tennessee, but also because he might be the better player right now.

And unless Vrabel thinks the Titans are legit Super Bowl contenders (they're not), it only makes sense to spend the rest of the season giving the rookie a chance to show what he can do.

(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

That said, Vrabel doesn't want to disrespect his veteran signal caller, either — especially by officially benching him for a 24 year old while he's still in a walking boot. Tannehill is in the final season of a four-year, $118 million contract with the Titans.

Now, Vrabel has plenty of time to weigh his options in the team's mini-bye. After Thursday's 20-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Titans have 10 days to prepare for their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And I'll bet you a hot chicken sandwich No. 8 gets the start.

Follow Amber on X at @TheAmberHarding or email her at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.