The Titans’ backfield left Week 1 with more questions than answers, and Tyjae Spears may have opened the door for the rookie behind him.
Tony Pollard handled the lead role against the Jets and was hardly the issue. He turned seven carries into 35 yards, a solid 5.0 yards per attempt for a veteran on an expiring contract.
Tennessee’s bigger problem was the way the game unfolded. Once the Titans fell behind early, they were forced to chase with the passing game, and that led to a second quarter in which they managed only three offensive plays.
That kind of script doesn’t do much to settle a depth chart, though, and the most interesting part of Tennessee’s run game came in the snaps behind Pollard. Spears, long viewed as Pollard’s eventual successor, was on the field for nearly a split workload. He just didn’t do enough with it.
Most of Spears’ involvement came as a receiver, but he wasn’t productive there or on the ground. He carried the ball three times for 12 yards and caught two of his four targets for another 12.
One drop in the third quarter erased a first down and summed up a rough afternoon for the young back. For a player expected to grow into a bigger role now that he’s healthy, Week 1 was a letdown.
That matters because Tennessee has another option waiting in the wings: fifth-round rookie Nick Singleton. He didn’t play last Sunday after Robert Saleh’s decision, but Spears’ slow start could force the issue sooner than expected.
Singleton’s preseason work was modest, but not invisible. He logged eight carries in the Titans’ first preseason game and seven more in the third.
Against the San Francisco 49ers, he ran for 31 yards. Against the Chicago Bears, he posted 26.
Those numbers aren’t flashy, but they at least gave Tennessee something to evaluate.
Saleh clearly liked what he saw after the 49ers game. "You know, he's got great vision..."
Saleh said. "And what I loved about him, he was finishing runs violently.
Getting his shoulder down, running people over, moving forward. Gaining three of four yards after contact.
So, again, he's got a lot to him."
If Tennessee keeps losing, the pressure to sort through the young pieces will only grow. Spears’ shaky opener puts him closer to the uncertain veteran territory Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard already occupy, and that could move Singleton to the front of the line.
The first crack in the door may already be there. The Titans’ Week 2 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles should tell us whether it gets wider.
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