Titans’ Brian Callahan on RB roles: ‘We’ll find out’

Titans head coach Brian Callahan is unsure of how the workload will be distributed in the team’s 2024 backfield.

For the first time since 2016, the Tennessee Titans will be without Derrick Henry in their backfield. The 30-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Titans were quick to sign running back Tony Pollard to a three-year contract after he had spent his first five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, and the signing officially signaled the end of the Henry era in Nashville.

Tennessee has long been a franchise that has leaned on its running game. Without Henry as the presumed lead back, there are undoubtedly questions surrounding the running backs room and how the touches will be shared.

Along with Pollard, the Titans will work in Tyjae Spears. The former third-round pick orchestrated a solid rookie season considering the circumstances, accounting for 453 rushing yards on 100 carries. Spears was heavily utilized in the passing game, as well, collecting 385 yards on 52 catches.

Going into the 2024 season, the running back competition between Pollard and Spears will be one of the more interesting storylines. How can the two co-exist? Could competition bring out the best in both players?

“We’ll find out,” Titans head coach Brian Callahan said of the backs, via Jim Wyatt. “As I see them right now, they are both pretty interchangeable. But I do think there will be some definition of role as we get going, and we put the pads on and start playing, those guys will probably separate themselves in some role or another that they’ll sort of sink their teeth into. But as of right now, I see them pretty interchangeable. We’ll find out more as we go.”

In addition to Pollard and Spears, the Titans have Hassan Haskins and Julius Chestnut looking to carve out roles.

Haskins, drafted in the fourth round in 2022, rushed for 93 yards on 25 carries in his rookie campaign. However, he missed all of last season after suffering an injury in training camp.

As a result, Chestnut, who had a tremendous preseason showing, made the initial roster and played mostly on special teams before suffering a season-ending injury.

It’s fair to expect both guys to be hungry to prove themselves in 2024, especially with uncertainty about how the Titans plan to integrate their running backs.

However, given his contract and his emergence in the league over the last two seasons, Pollard figures to receive the lion’s share of the carries in 2024.

The former Memphis Tiger developed in a similar role to Henry when he came up with the Cowboys. Pollard played behind Ezekiel Elliott until he outrushed his teammate in 2022, despite seeing fewer carries.

With Dallas moving on from Elliott after the 2022 season, Pollard became the featured back. At 26 years of age, he played in all 17 games and rushed for 1,005 yards on 252 carries. Additionally, Pollard was a threat in the passing game, hauling in 55 catches on 67 targets for 311 yards.

Serving primarily as a backup until last year has helped Pollard become a weapon for the Titans because he still has relatively low miles on him.

Now, Tennessee can unleash their free-agent splash this year.

“I think our best version of Tony is probably coming,” Callahan said of Pollard, who came back from a fractured fibula last season after suffering the injury during the 2022 playoffs. “Tony’s explosiveness, his ability to be productive in the passing game, he has real receiver skills, and then be able to pass protect — he sort of has all three things you look for in a running back. (He’s) a very three-down player, and one we can pair up with Tyjae Spears and I think have a pretty formidable 1-2 punch.”

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Full breakdown of Tony Pollard’s contract with Titans

A look at the breakdown of RB Tony Pollard’s contract with the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans are starting a new era in their backfield after the team inked Tony Pollard to take the spot of franchise legend, Derrick Henry, who has since signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Pollard’s contract was originally reported as a three-year deal worth $24 million, but Over the Cap actually has the total value set at $21.7 million, which works out to an annual average of $7.2 million.

The deal carries a low Year 1 cap hit of $4 million before ballooning to $8.5 million in 2025 and $9.25 million in 2026. The annual average of the total deal ranks 10th at the position.

Pollard’s contract is essentially a two-year deal that has a nice, easy out in Year 3. Cutting him at that point would cost $2 million in dead cap and Tennessee would save $7.25 million.

Here’s the full breakdown, per OTC:

Via Over the Cap

If some sort of disaster strikes, the Titans can cut him loose in 2025 with a $7 million dead-cap hit and $1.5 million in savings if done before June 1, and a $5 million dead-cap charge and $3.5 million savings if designated a post-June 1 cut.

As far as his role is concerned, Pollard is expected to split time with 2023 third-round pick, Tyjae Spears, although the amount of money invested in Pollard could be a sign that he’ll get at least slightly more work.

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Titans’ Tony Pollard talks replacing Derrick Henry, sharing a backfield

Having to share a backfield is nothing new for Titans RB Tony Pollard.

In what was the first reported signing of their offseason, the Tennessee Titans inked running back Tony Pollard to a three-year, $21.7 million deal to pair him with 2023 third-round pick and standout, running back Tyjae Spears.

Sharing a backfield is nothing new for Pollard, who did so during his days in Memphis and in 2022 with the Dallas Cowboys, when he and Ezekiel Elliot split work.

“Just keeping the mindset of controlling what you can control and making the most of my opportunities, and just making them count,” Pollard said of sharing a backfield, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.

“We haven’t really went into specifics (of what my role will be), but I’m coming in expecting to help, trying to contribute,” he added.

On top of having to deal with the expectations from the contract he signed, Pollard is also taking the spot of a franchise great in Derrick Henry. But the Memphis product has the right mindset on that front.

“For me personally, not at all,” Pollard responded when asked if he thinks about replacing Henry, according to AtoZ Sports Nashville. “All I’m focused on is coming in and being the best leader I can be this year, contributing to the team and just winning games.”

Signing with the Titans will be a homecoming for Pollard, who was born and raised in Tennessee. That’s one of the reasons why the 26-year-old back felt the Titans were the perfect fit for him.

“It just felt like this was the place for me to be, especially coming back home, with family so close,” Pollard said, according to Jim Wyatt. “It was just perfect timing. Everything worked out the way it should, me being from Memphis, born and raised in Memphis, went to the University of Memphis. So, I am very familiar with the area, have a lot of family here. It just made sense for me to be home.”

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How to buy Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey

Pre-order your Tony Pollard Titans jersey now so you’ll be ready to celebrate the Titans’ newest acquisition

The Tennessee Titans have been a team with a lot of moving parts in the early stages of the NFL’s free agency period.

None bigger than RB Tony Pollard.

SHOP: Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey

The longtime Dallas Cowboys running back is bringing his star status into a revamped Tennessee backfield alongside receiver Calvin Ridley. The Titans inked him to a free-agent contract.

Such a move has to be celebrated immediately properly!

Be the first of your friends to get your hands on the new Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey:

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While it may take the NFL a little while to get used to Jones in this kind of silver and blue, Titans fans are more than ready to see him in his new threads.

Both the men’s and women’s Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jerseys are available now at Fanatics.

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We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Titans Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

How to buy Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey

Pre-order your Tony Pollard Titans jersey now so you’ll be ready to celebrate the Titans’ newest acquisition

The Tennessee Titans have been a team with a lot of moving parts in the early stages of the NFL’s free agency period.

None bigger than RB Tony Pollard.

SHOP: Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey

The longtime Dallas Cowboys running back is bringing his star status into a revamped Tennessee backfield alongside receiver Calvin Ridley. The Titans inked him to a free-agent contract.

Such a move has to be celebrated immediately properly!

Be the first of your friends to get your hands on the new Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey:

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Tony Pollard Titans jersey” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/5gdkNo”]

While it may take the NFL a little while to get used to Jones in this kind of silver and blue, Titans fans are more than ready to see him in his new threads.

Both the men’s and women’s Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jerseys are available now at Fanatics.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Tony Pollard Titans men’s jersey” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/5gdkNo”]

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We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Titans Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

How to buy Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey

Pre-order your Tony Pollard Titans jersey now so you’ll be ready to celebrate the Titans’ newest acquisition

The Tennessee Titans have been a team with a lot of moving parts in the early stages of the NFL’s free agency period.

None bigger than RB Tony Pollard.

SHOP: Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey

The longtime Dallas Cowboys running back is bringing his star status into a revamped Tennessee backfield alongside receiver Calvin Ridley. The Titans inked him to a free-agent contract.

Such a move has to be celebrated immediately properly!

Be the first of your friends to get your hands on the new Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey:

Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans Nike Game Player Jersey - Navy
Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jersey (Fanatics)

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Tony Pollard Titans jersey” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/5gdkNo”]

While it may take the NFL a little while to get used to Jones in this kind of silver and blue, Titans fans are more than ready to see him in his new threads.

Both the men’s and women’s Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans jerseys are available now at Fanatics.

Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans Nike Women's Game Player Jersey - Navy
Tony Pollard Tennessee Titans women’s jersey (Fanatics)

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Tony Pollard Titans men’s jersey” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/5gdkNo”]

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We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Titans Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Grade for Titans’ expected signing of RB Tony Pollard

How we graded the Titans’ expected signing of RB Tony Pollard.

The Tennessee Titans wasted no time in adding to their running backs room in free agency after the team reportedly agreed to terms with former Dallas Cowboys rusher, Tony Pollard, which was their first move.

Tennessee is giving Pollard a three-year deal worth $24 million, which works out to an annual average of $8 million.

That is more than I expected the Titans to spend on the position considering they already have Tyjae Spears on the roster, but I’m going to assume there’s at least a mostly clean out in Year 3 of the deal. Pollard is just 26, so his age isn’t a concern here.

As far as the fit goes, it’s a good one.

Pollard isn’t the prototypical power back we expected the Titans to sign, but he’s still a strong runner, as evidenced by his gaining 819 yards after contact in 2023, the third-most in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats.

That should also make him an asset in short-yardage situations, but even if he struggles in that area, Spears was elite when it came to converting on 3rd- and 4th-and-short situations in 2023 among backs with 100 attempts.

The best thing about Pollard is he brings the kind of versatility Spears does. Pollard is an explosive runner who can break big ones to the outside and catch passes out of the backfield. He’s also good in pass protection.

Having two backs who are similar in those ways will prevent the Titans from telegraphing what they’re going to do based on who is on the field, which was often an issue with Derrick Henry.

I don’t love the money the Titans spent on Pollard, but I do love the 1-2 punch he creates with Spears. Overall, this was a solid signing.

Grade: B

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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.

Report: Minnesota Vikings were in on Tony Pollard sweepstakes

Minnesota Vikings inquired about signing former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard

The Athletic’s Senior NFL insider Dianna Russini reports that before signing with the Tennessee Titans, the 26-year-old running back had a sizeable market, including the Minnesota Vikings.

According to Russini, the Cowboys looked to retain Pollard, while the New York Giants and Vikings tried their hand at luring him away before Pollard took the larger contract offered to him by Tennessee.

With the signing of Jonathan Greenard, it seems that Minnesota could be looking to use this free agency period to get younger at some key spots. Releasing Alexander Mattison before the start of free agency made running back an area of concern, especially after Minnesota’s subpar efforts to run the football last season. There needed to be another contributor besides third-year veteran Ty Chandler.

The running back market has deteriorated over the past few years, so addressing the position through free agency isn’t as taxing as it was, say five years ago. However, there still needs to be caution when addressing the position using the veteran market. Pollard is a good running back and for the right cost, could be a good three-down back for a team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right price for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings.

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BREAKING: Cowboys RB Tony Pollard expected to sign with Titans

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 5-year veteran will return to his home state of Tennessee in a move that came within the first hour of the free agency tampering period.

Tony Pollard is headed back to his native Tennessee.

As first reported by Aaron Wilson, who cited a league source, the Cowboys running back will sign with the Tennessee Titans. The move came within the first hour of the NFL’s so-called “legal tampering period” prior to the official start of free agency.

Pollard, the former fourth-round draft pick who spent his first five seasons in Dallas, grew up in the Memphis area and played collegiately for the Memphis Tigers. The 26-year-old’s return to the Volunteer State will pair him with Titans rusher Tyjae Spears, as the team is expected to watch two-time rushing champ Derrick Henry leave via free agency after eight seasons there.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported shortly after the announcement that Pollard will sign a three-year deal worth $24 million. Those numbers could change as full details of the contract are made public.

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While the Cowboys elected not to franchise tag Pollard for a second time, there was some belief that the organization was interested in bringing him back after consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Giants and Vikings were among the teams also courting Pollard, but he opted for the largest payday being offered him.

Now Pollard is off to Nashville (though it won’t be official until papers are signed on Wednesday at the earliest), and the leading rusher currently on the Cowboys roster is Dak Prescott.

Dallas has been mentioned, at least loosely, as being a possible destination for Henry, in what would be a high-profile ball-carrier swap.

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