Tennessee Titans Mason Kinsey took his 1st quarterback snaps ever in an NFL game. Here's how it happened

MINNEAPOLIS — There's no shame in not being able to cut it as a middle school quarterback. But there is a little vindication in making the jump from not being able to hack it under center as an eighth grader to getting your next chance in the NFL, of all places.

Tennessee Titans receiver Mason Kinsey took two snaps at quarterback in the Titans' 24-16 preseason win Saturday over the Minnesota Vikings. Kinsey, of course, is not a quarterback. He's a receiver out of Division III Berry College who the Titans signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. He was the Titans' leading receiver Saturday, in fact, catching four passes for 37 yards.

But extenuating circumstances forced Kinsey out of his comfort zone. Veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill wasn't dressed for Saturday's game, and rookie Will Levis was kept out of the game as a precaution with a lower body injury, which meant second-year backup Malik Willis would be playing the entire game.

Without a fourth quarterback on the roster, the role of emergency QB fell to Kinsey, despite the fact he has never played quarterback at the high school, college or pro level.

"I tried to play quarterback in eighth grade," he said. "We ran the triple option. I tried out for quarterback, didn’t make it and moved to receiver. So first real snaps at quarterback."

Titans coach Mike Vrabel gave Kinsey the heads-up Friday that this was a possibility if Willis got hurt. Before the game Saturday, Vrabel told him he might give him a snap or two for the sake of it. Kinsey practiced one play at quarterback Friday, and that's what the Titans ran.

On his first snap late in the third quarter, he handed off to Julius Chestnut for a 1-yard gain. On his second, he kept the ball himself and scurried for 6 yards.

After that, Willis came back in through the end of the game. Kinsey never got to show off his arm. Vrabel says that option was never really on the table.

But Kinsey could dream.

"I was kind of joking around with some of the guys like, ‘I hope they don’t act like they’re going to bring pressure because I’m going to check it and throw it deep with one of my guys in the receiver room pressed up out there,’" Kinsey said. "But nah, I just tried to stick to the read."

Now that he has these two plays on tape, maybe his eighth grade coach will reconsider and Kinsey will be asked to run the triple option after all.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Mason Kinsey took his 1st ever QB snaps in Tennessee Titans preseason game