Contrary to what some reports on social media may say, quarterback Ryan Tannehill says he hasn't asked the Tennessee Titans for his release to explore starting opportunities elsewhere.

"I was kind of caught off-guard by those reports as well," Tannehill told media Friday. "Obviously I have a desire to play. I just don’t know what that looks like at this point. But no, there’s been no talks with (coach Mike) Vrabel or anything like that."

Tannehill has been relegated to backup responsibilities for two weeks now, nearly a month after a high ankle sprain knocked him out of action and had him replaced by rookie Will Levis as the Titans' starter. Now the 12-year pro says he's working back to full health and dealing with the uncomfortable situation of learning to be a reserve again after 61 starts in a Titans uniform.

"You’ve got to swallow your pride a little bit every day when you walk in this building, which is not fun," Tannehill said. "Just trying to be the best teammate I can, help out where I can, whether it be with the quarterbacks or other position groups, just speaking up when I see anything and trying to find a way to win."

The Titans (3-6) visit their AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3) on Sunday (noon, CBS). Vrabel said he expects Tannehill to be the Titans' backup quarterback for the game but reserves the right to change his mind up until 90 minutes before kickoff. Tannehill hasn't been active for a game since Oct. 15 when he injured his ankle against the Baltimore Ravens.

If Tannehill can't go, second-year quarterback Malik Willis will be Levis' backup for the fourth game in a row. But Tannehill says he feels like he's improved his health steadily since the injury and believes he's in a better position to be active this week than he was last week. He also said his recovery process has been smoother this year than when he rushed back from a high ankle sprain in two weeks last season and played at less than 100% for a few weeks before reinjuring the ankle and requiring season-ending surgery.

"It’s tough to say exactly," Tannehill said when asked how close he feels he is to feeling like himself again. "But a lot closer than I was last week, so we’re heading in the right direction."

Tennessee Titans injury update

Vrabel ruled out three players for Sunday's game in Jacksonville. Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting will not play as he continues to rehab from thumb surgery, and neither receiver Treylon Burks nor offensive lineman Andre Dillard have cleared the concussion protocol.

Murphy-Bunting told media Friday that he's still in the recovery stages of his rehab. He said he couldn't put a number on what percentage he feels his thumb is but indicated that he hopes to be ready to play next week and would play with a club or cast on his hand to protect the injury.

Guard Daniel Brunskill, who missed last week's game with an ankle injury, has not been ruled out after a full week of practice.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill says he hasn't requested release