The Titans’ backfield was supposed to be on a clean path by now. Tony Pollard, 29 and in the final year of his contract, has handled RB1 duties from the start, while Tyjae Spears was positioned as the younger, longer-term answer waiting in the wings. But that handoff looks a lot less straightforward after what Tennessee has seen from Spears so far.
Last week against the Indianapolis Colts, Spears barely got involved. He played 11 snaps, which came out to 24.4%, while Pollard logged 34 snaps and 75.6%. That was a sharp break from the even split the two backs had in Week 1, and the gap has widened over the last few weeks.
Spears has dealt with an ankle issue and has missed a few practices, but that hasn’t kept him completely off the field. The bigger problem has been what he’s done once he’s out there.
In Week 6, he finished with one carry for one yard and one catch for seven yards. Through six games, Spears has 18 carries for 66 yards, a 3.7 average per rush.
That leaves Tennessee facing a very different question than the one it expected to answer when this setup was first drawn up. If Pollard moves on - and there are already reasons to think that could happen - the Titans may not have an obvious next man up.
Rookie Nick Singleton is part of the conversation. A fifth-round pick earlier this year, he could slide into Spears’ spot if Pollard were to be traded or cut, and that would at least give the Titans a way to soften the change in roles.
But Singleton hasn’t exactly seized the moment either. In two appearances, he has 12 total yards on seven carries.
That’s a problem because Tennessee has seen growth in other areas of the roster. Carnell Tate is leading the makeover at wide receiver.
Anthony Hill Jr. has looked like the best linebacker on the team in his first season. Up front, JC Latham and the currently injured rookie Fernando Carmona have both been strong on the offensive line.
Pollard has done a servicable job as the Titans’ top back this season, but the idea of extending him looks far-fetched, and he has also come up as a possible trade candidate. When he’s eventually gone, Tennessee may need more than a simple one-for-one swap to patch the hole.
For now, Spears still has the rest of the year to show he can be that guy. If he doesn’t, the Titans could be staring at a much bigger reset in the backfield than anyone planned for.
In Other News...
Titans Suddenly Face A Real Question About Alontae Taylor
A quiet but notable subplot emerged before Tennessees game against Indianapolis when Robert Saleh made the call to bench starting cornerback Alontae Taylor as part of a reset. Saleh framed the move as a way to help Taylor adjust to life as an outside corner in the teams defensive system, and Taylor took the news in stride, acknowledging the decision while stressing his motivation to adapt and improve.
For the Titans, the situation raises a real roster and development question at a position that has been under the microscope all season. It also landed on a day when there was some good news elsewhere, with Julius Chestnut earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his punt block, while the team continued sorting through injury updates and practice participation ahead of the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Fans Noticed A Familiar Voice Suddenly Missing In Nashville
For more than a decade, Blaine Bishop has been one of the more familiar football voices around Nashville, mixing his former Titans perspective with weekday radio on 104.5 The Zone. The ex-safety had been with the station since January 2010 and had co-hosted the Cover Two show with Zach Lyons, giving listeners a steady, recognizable presence well after his playing days ended.
Bishop is no longer part of that lineup. His last appearance on Cover Two came on Oct. 15, and producer Ross Johnston has been filling in since then, leaving a noticeable change for Titans fans who had grown used to hearing Bishop's take alongside Lyons every week. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Could Make A Painful Deadline Choice Fans Knew Was Coming
At 1-5, the Titans are once again staring at the kind of deadline that usually forces a hard reset, and this time the conversation is not about buying help but about deciding which veterans still fit the long view. The reported stance is clear enough: outside of the rookie class, Cam Ward and Jeffery Simmons, just about everyone else can be discussed if the return helps Tennessee build draft capital before the Nov. 10 deadline.
That makes the next two weeks worth watching around players like Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard and Cody Barton, all of whom could draw different levels of interest depending on what a contender needs. Ridley has been linked to the Rams, Pollard has been tied to the Bengals and Barton has been floated to the Bills, but those are only speculative fits for now, the sort of deadline chatter that says as much about where the Titans are headed as it does about where these veterans might land. [Read more 🡒]