With the NFL trade deadline set for 3 PM CT on November 10, the Titans are expected to be one of the league’s biggest sellers. Tennessee already dealt its franchise best player and multi-time All-Pro DT Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears two weeks ago, and with a 1-7 record, more moves are very much on the table.
The names most often mentioned in trade chatter are WR Calvin Ridley, RB Tony Pollard and S Amani Hooker, but the only one with real momentum right now is Ridley. As things stand, the Titans do not plan to move Pollard or Hooker, even though there’s interest in both.
That leaves Tyjae Spears as the more intriguing possibility.
Spears is entering his fourth NFL season, and there was a real path for him to become a major piece of the Tennessee offense. A lot of people expected him to step into the starting role with Pollard in his age 29 season on an expiring contract. That still could happen eventually, but the way the backfield has tilted lately tells a different story.
Pollard has been rolling, and Spears has been pushed to the margins. He was a healthy scratch in back-to-back games against the Browns and Bengals, while Pollard piled up nearly 300 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns across those two contests. That surge has earned the veteran the complete trust of OC Brian Daboll.
For Spears, the slide has been gradual. He’s been on the field less and less as the season has gone on, and the snap counts show it clearly: Pollard has 296 offensive snaps to Spears’ 140, according to Fantasy Pros.
Even so, Spears has already shown he can do more than just carry the ball. In Week 5 against the Houston Texans, he posted a team-high nine receptions and was Cam Ward’s dependable option out of the backfield. Since then, though, he has been given only two total touches.
Earlier in the season, Spears also showed value as a pass blocker and receiving back, finishing with 15 receptions for 75 yards and zero drops.
And while he hasn’t played the last two weeks, Spears still has more receptions than Pollard, WR Elic Ayomanor, WR Chimere Dike, TE Daniel Bellinger and Ridley, giving him the team’s fourth-most catches. As a runner, he has a career average of 4.1 yards per carry with eight touchdowns and only two fumbles.
The bigger picture around the deadline makes Spears even more interesting. The two running backs drawing the most attention are Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor, but both are tied to contracts through 2028 worth more than $35 million, per Spotrac. Barkley turns 30 in February, Taylor turns 28 in January, and that kind of price tag for backs entering the later stages of their careers comes with real risk.
Spears, by contrast, is on the final year of his rookie deal and is making roughly $1.4 million this season. That age and salary profile make him the kind of under-the-radar back a team could target for depth without paying a premium.
If Tennessee’s staff isn’t going to use him, the question becomes simple: why keep him?
The Titans have clearly leaned into Pollard, especially over the last three games, and his recent stretch may have won over the organization. If that’s the direction they’re going, Spears could be the next back out the door before Tennessee reshapes the position next season.
In Other News...
Calvin Ridley Gives Titans A New Problem During Trade Rumors
Calvin Ridleys season has already been a frustrating one on the field, and now the Titans have a separate issue to sort through as the trade deadline approaches. The veteran receiver has been the subject of trade rumors amid limited production, but the latest wrinkle came away from the field, where the team acknowledged an unexplained incident involving Ridley at Nashville International Airport and said it is working with local authorities.
For Tennessee, the timing only adds to the uncertainty around a player whose future has already been a talking point. The organization has not released any further details, and law enforcement has not either, leaving the situation open-ended for now. With Ridleys name already floating in trade speculation, the Titans suddenly have another matter to monitor while trying to keep the focus on football. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Rebuild Suddenly Has A Few Young Cornerstones Emerging
The Titans Week 9 bye offered a natural checkpoint for a roster still being reshaped, and the first-half projections around several young pieces point to a rebuild that may be moving faster than expected. Cam Ward remains the obvious centerpiece of the conversation, but he is hardly alone. Tony Pollards role, along with the early impact projections for Carnell Tate, WanDale Robinson, Jacob Martin, Jermaine Johnson and Anthony Hill, gives Tennessee a broader look at which players are starting to look like part of the next core.
What makes the picture interesting is that the encouraging signs are coming with the usual growing pains attached. The numbers tied to those players suggest both promise and plenty of room for improvement, which is exactly what a team in transition wants to sort out after a bye. For the Titans, the bigger question now is not whether the rebuild is underway, but which of these emerging contributors can keep turning first-half flashes into something more durable down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Trade Deadline Could Hinge On One Veteran Decision
The Titans are heading toward the NFL trade deadline with a familiar kind of roster math in front of them: which veterans fit the long-term plan, and which ones might bring back value if the right offer comes along. Calvin Ridley is the name drawing the most attention, with Tennessee reportedly listening to offers as contenders and receiver-needy teams sort through the market.
Tony Pollard, Jermaine Johnson and Amani Hooker are also part of the conversation, but they appear to be much less available unless a team comes in with a strong enough package to change the Titans thinking. For a club trying to balance immediate competitiveness with future flexibility, the deadline could come down to one veteran decision that shapes the rest of the week in Nashville. [Read more 🡒]