The Seattle Seahawks are in the mix for veteran running backs as next month’s trade deadline approaches, and Tony Pollard is one of the names drawing attention.
Through four games with the Tennessee Titans, Pollard has 54 carries for 221 yards and a touchdown. He also brings a track record that still stands out: four straight seasons with more than 1,000 rushing yards. For a Seahawks team looking at its options, that kind of résumé is hard to ignore.
Pollard’s fit in Tennessee has already started to look temporary. He’s in the final year of his contract, and according to Tennessee Titans On SI publisher Lane Mills, the veteran back has been doing what the Titans ask while also looking like the odd man out in the middle of their rebuild. As Mills put it, “It's seemed like a matter of time that Tennessee parts ways with him for a while now.”
Where Pollard can help most is clear. Mills described him as an early-down back who works best in a passing offense, one who can steadily pick up yards and read the field well as a veteran. What he is not, at this stage, is the kind of back you want when the defense knows exactly what’s coming.
That’s where the limitations show up. Mills pointed to Pollard’s struggles in short-yardage situations and said he’s no longer as explosive as he once was. He added that Brian Daboll has had trouble getting the most out of him when the offense needs a key conversion, saying Pollard can’t fully be “that guy” anymore.
Even so, Pollard still brings value beyond the box score. Mills called him a leader who embraces his role, noting that he was open about splitting snaps with Tyjae Spears and even offered advice to rookie RB Nick Singleton. That kind of mindset, Mills said, is easy to overlook in a player at this stage of his career.
For Seattle, the appeal is pretty straightforward. Mills said Pollard would make sense as a complementary piece alongside Emanuel Wilson, imagining a workload that looks more like “10 carries for 40 yards” than a feature-back job. In that role, he could still help.
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