A closer look at the Tennessee Titans backfield

What should we expect from the Tony Pollard-Tyjae Spears tandem?

From the moment Mike Vrabel was hired to be the head coach of the Tennessee Titans before the 2018 season, you knew you were going to get two things: a physical defense, and a heavy dose of running back Derrick Henry each week. After six years of that, it’s a new day in Nashville. Vrabel was fired after posting a 13-21 record over the last two seasons, and Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Vrabel’s replacement is Brian Callahan, who was hired after serving as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals for the last five seasons. In Cincinnati, he oversaw a pass-first offense led by young superstar quarterback Joe Burrow and the receiving tandem of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. While the Titans have upgraded their own receivers room, which now includes DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd, a familiar face from Cincy, the jury is still out on QB Will Levis.

As such, the ground game should be important for the 2024 Titans. With Henry gone, Tennessee gave former Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard a three-year, $21.75 million deal to join promising youngster Tyjae Spears atop the depth chart. Let’s look at what we can expect from them this year.

Memphis product Tony Pollard returns to the state of Tennessee

Pollard joins the Titans, presuming ending the reign of King Henry.

In 2023, Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard replaced Ezekiel Elliott in a short-lived, underwhelming stint as the franchise back. He now replaces Derrick Henry as the face of the Tennessee Titans‘ backfield.

Last year, Pollard produced respectable stats that resulted in an RB14 finish. While that seems like a fine showing on the surface, the expectations coming off Pollard’s strong 2022 campaign makes this placement less palatable. He was less efficient, scored half as many touchdowns, and averaged only the 23rd-most fantasy points among all backs with at least 10 appearances. More work didn’t equate to Pollard keeping up his highly efficient ways of pre-2023 play.

Fantasy football outlook

In Tennessee, Pollard will be tasked with replacing one of the most popular players in franchise history. The Titans are a team in rebuild mode and will have a new starting quarterback and first-year head coach.

Pollard’s versatility helps keep him in the No. 2 conversation for PPR formats. The offensive line needs some help, quarterback Will Levis will endure his growing pains, and the aerial targets leave much to be desired. Unless Levis steps up in a significant way, Pollard may face tremendous defensive attention and replicate another low-efficiency season.