Oct 29, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (32) runs after the catch during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans
(Nashville, TN) – Despite the departure of a future Hall of Famer in the offseason, the Tennessee Titans have an opportunity to reestablish an elite running game – this time by committee.
During his time with the Titans, Derrick Henry led the league in both yards and rushing twice, becoming just the eighth player in history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. After eight years in the Music City, Henry signed with Baltimore in free agency.
Tennessee made a splash of their own during the offseason, signing former Pro Bowl back Tony Pollard away from Dallas. He will join second year Tyjae Spears and they will compete for reps in the backfield.
Newly hired head coach Brian Callahan is excited to utilize both players and is not yet decided on a starter. “They are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don’t view either one of them as a starter or a back-up. They are both starting players to me.”
He added, “maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth. I don’t know what that’s going to look like yet.”
Having the luxury of skill position players should help Tennessee, especially with a young quarterback in Will Levis. If the Titans are able to establish the run game with a one-two punch of Pollard and Spears, the young signal caller will be better able to control the field.
