Tag: Tyjae Spears

Titans HC Callahan shares insight on potential RB usage as training camp opens

Callahan talks how the Titans running back usage could look this summer.

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan addressed the media as training camp opened on Tuesday. The first-year head coach fielded a number of questions surrounding a roster that saw turnover at key positions.

Among those was the departure of superstar running back Derrick Henry, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens after spending his first eight years in Nashville.

In what figures to be one of the more compelling position battles in camp, Callahan was asked about the running backs room, specifically, if Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard would be named the starting running back going into the season.

Callahan did not commit to either player at this time but indicated that both guys could see their fair share of playing time in the backfield.

“The fun part for me is: How are we going to deploy those guys?” Callahan said via Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “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. But 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 backup. They are both starting players to me.”

With a franchise pillar in Henry exiting this offseason, it was a fair question, especially considering how pass-centric the NFL has become. 

Spears had a solid rookie season in 2023, rushing for 453 yards on 100 carries and two touchdowns. The Tulane standout also hauled in 52 receptions for 385 yards and one touchdown.

Pollard joins the team after signing a three-year, $21.750 million contract in free agency. The 27-year-old, who played college football at Memphis, had a strong 2023 season in what was his first year as the feature running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Pollard rushed for 1,005 yards and scored six touchdowns, and he was also heavily involved in the passing game, bringing in 55 receptions for 311 yards.

Tennessee bolstered its offensive skill positions in the offseason to support second-year quarterback Will Levis as he takes over as the full-time starter in Callahan’s pass-first offense.

Despite this, Spears and Pollard are expected to have significant roles in the Titans’ new-look ground game this season. Both players will have the chance to display their skill set throughout training camp and the preseason.

Tyjae Spears named Titans’ potential breakout player by PFN

PFN listed Titans RB Tyjae Spears as the team’s potential breakout player for 2024, but we would’ve gone in a different direction.

With Derrick Henry no longer in Nashville, the Tennessee Titans will have a new duo at running back in 2024, with 2023 third-round pick Tyjae Spears and free-agent acquisition Tony Pollard.

The explosive Spears showed plenty of flashes during his first season, including his big-play ability, but there’s no question both Titans backs were hindered by an offensive line that couldn’t do anything well.

Looking ahead to 2024, Spears is being pegged as a potential breakout player for the Titans by Pro Football Network’s Tony Catalina.

The Titans saw the departure of Derrick Henry, only to welcome the addition of Tony Pollard. However, despite the presence of Pollard in the backfield, the dynamic has changed and more players will get opportunities in the Titans’ backfield in 2024. With his speed and shifty ability, Spears should be a complement to Pollard.

Despite seeing the same amount of snaps as Henry in 2023, Spears only logged 152 touches to Henry’s 308. With Pollard now in the mix, that figures to even out, which in and of itself will help Spears have a breakout campaign.

Adding to that, Spears and Pollard will be running behind a much better situation than Henry and Spears did, as the Titans have beefed up their offensive line considerably with the additions of Lloyd Cushenberry and JC Latham.

While Spears is no doubt a good pick to have a breakout campaign, I’d pick quarterback Will Levis over him. Levis was also held back by a poor offensive line in 2023, also, but he also had a lackluster wide receiver group that made things more difficult.

With the Titans making significant additions to both of those position groups, and with the offense being more pass-heavy under head coach Brian Callahan, Levis is primed to take a bigger step forward in 2024.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Where Titans’ RBs room landed in PFF’s rankings

The Titans’ running backs room landed a better-than-expected spot in PFF’s rankings.

The Tennessee Titans will have a much different running backs room in 2024 now that Derrick Henry is no longer with the team.

Tennessee is returning 2023 fourth-round pick Tyjae Spears and added veteran Tony Pollard to give the team an intriguing one-two punch that can do just about everything on the football field.

Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema recently ranked the running back rooms for all 32 NFL teams and the Titans landed right in the middle of the pack at No. 15. Here’s Sikkema’s thoughts on the duo:

Tony Pollard finds himself in Tennessee after struggling to regain his form following a high ankle sprain and a broken leg in the 2022-2023 playoffs. But his 2023 numbers were still solid, including a 4.0 yards per carry average, 1,000-plus rushing yards once again and an 84.7 PFF rushing grade.

Pollard and Tyjae Spears will be the one-two combo for the Titans, and it’s a duo with a decently high ceiling after Spears recorded a 0.26 missed tackles forced per attempt average and a 4.6 yards per carry average.

That is actually a solid ranking considering the circumstances, with Spears being unproven and Pollard coming off a down year.

Spears no doubt flashed in his rookie season, both as a runner and pass-catcher, but he was also hounded by the fact that the Titans had one of the worst offensive lines in the sport.

Pollard wasn’t at his best in 2023. However, as Sikkema notes, he was also coming back from a serious injury. Pollard still managed to top 1,000 yards on the ground and over 1,300 yards from scrimmage, though.

In Spears and Pollard, the Titans have a pair of backs who can impact a game with explosive plays, both as runners and receivers. That will no doubt help keep defenses honest, no matter who is on the field.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Titans’ Brian Callahan ‘can’t wait’ to utilize RB duo in 2024

Titans head coach Brian Callahan explains why he “can’t wait” to use Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard.

The Tennessee Titans are beginning a new era at the running back position in 2024 after parting ways with Derrick Henry earlier this offseason following an eight-year tenure that saw Henry ascend to elite status and build a foundation for a Hall of Fame bid.

2023 third-round pick Tyjae Spears is returning for his second season after a promising rookie campaign, and he’ll be joined by veteran and free-agent addition, Tony Pollard.

The thing that stands out the most about this duo is the fact that the two backs are similar. That will make it much tougher for defenses to predict what the Titans will do based on who’s on the field

“Everyone keeps saying interchangeable, and we see it that way,” offensive coordinator Nick Holz said earlier this offseason. “We don’t want any tendencies when those guys are in there. So, we think they both can have a skill set as pass catchers, skill set running the gap schemes and all the different zone schemes we are going to have. So, that’s where it is really most exciting as we go, you are not going to say ‘when this back is in these are the plays, and when this back is in those are the plays.’ They can really function on all three downs, and really, there are not any scheme limitations.”

Despite the obvious similarities in their games, Titans head coach Brian Callahan still believes they’re “unique” from one another, and that will make it fun to utilize the pair.

“I can’t wait to start playing around and using them in different ways because they both do things differently, they’re unique,” Callahan said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “I’m excited about the style that we can run with. We can do a lot of different things.”

While we know what the Titans are getting in both backs, it remains to be seen how the workload will be split up between the two. It figures to be just about 50/50, but the Titans aren’t exactly paying Pollard like a 50/50 back at a little over $7 million per year.

“We see it 1A, 1B, and they’re both just gonna play a ton, get a lot of carries and let ’em roll,” Holz said of the workload distribution.

Both players are explosive, yet can run tough between the tackles, they can catch the ball out of the backfield and are strong in pass protection. Spears and Pollard should be a fun duo to watch in 2024.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

2024 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Running Backs

How will the strength of fantasy schedule impact RBs in 2024?

Schedule strength for running backs considers both rushing and receiving yards as today’s players rarely rely on just running production anymore. The analysis also considers the venue. There is a difference between how defenses respond either home or away, which creates 64 “different defensive matchups” depending on where the game is played.

Also see: Quarterbacks |Receivers

The scoring was a point for every 10 yards rushing or receiving, six-point touchdowns, and a point per reception. The average fantasy points allowed to running backs are at the bottom of this page for reference. Running backs prove to be most sensitive to schedule strength of any position.

Total Points

Below are the total points for each backfield according to their schedule using the averages allowed in 2023 by those defenses.

PHI LAR WAS SEA LAC DEN TEN MIA NE MIN TB
368 363 360 360 360 360 353 353 351 350 350
NO CLE BAL NYJ PIT CHI NYG JAC HOU CAR
349 349 348 347 346 345 345 344 342 342
KC BUF DET LV CIN GB ATL IND ARI DAL SF
341 340 339 337 336 335 333 332 328 327 325

 

 

 

Weekly Play

Three different views are below. Week 1 to 17 is the full-season fantasy strength of schedule. “The Dorey Rule” says to draft by considering the first six weeks for a hot start. Finally, Weeks 15 to 17 represent the most common fantasy playoff weeks. “Good” games against a Top-22 venue from last year; “Bad” was when they played in one of the Bottom-22.

Week 1-17 SOS Good Bad First 6 SOS Good Bad Playoffs SOS Good Bad
TEN 4 7 3 CLE 3 3 0 PHI 3 3 0
LAR 3 6 3 NYG 3 4 1 MIN 3 3 0
WAS 2 6 4 SEA 3 4 1 ATL 2 2 0
JAC 2 5 3 TEN 2 3 1 JAC 2 2 0
CLE 2 6 4 CHI 2 3 1 TEN 2 2 0
CHI 2 7 5 HOU 2 3 1 DEN 1 2 1
DEN 1 5 4 MIA 2 3 1 IND 1 1 0
LAC 1 7 6 LV 1 2 1 LAC 1 2 1
NYG 1 7 6 PIT 1 2 1 NE 1 1 0
HOU 1 6 5 LAR 1 2 1 SEA 1 1 0
MIA 1 6 5 JAC 0 1 1 TB 1 2 1
SEA 1 6 5 CAR 0 1 1 GB 1 1 0
PIT 0 5 5 MIN 0 1 1 KC 1 1 0
NE 0 5 5 TB 0 2 2 NO 1 2 1
PHI 0 6 6 DEN 0 2 2 CAR 0 1 1
CAR 0 4 4 KC 0 2 2 HOU 0 1 1
MIN 0 5 5 LAC 0 2 2 CHI 0 1 1
BAL 0 6 6 NE 0 2 2 CIN 0 1 1
BUF 0 5 5 SF 0 2 2 NYG -1 1 2
NYJ 0 6 6 WAS 0 2 2 PIT -1 0 1
DET 0 6 6 BUF -1 0 1 BAL -1 0 1
TB -1 5 6 BAL -1 2 3 BUF -1 1 2
ATL -1 4 5 GB -1 1 2 LAR -1 0 1
IND -1 4 5 DET -1 2 3 LV -1 0 1
GB -1 3 4 CIN -2 1 3 MIA -1 0 1
NO -2 5 7 NO -2 1 3 NYJ -1 0 1
KC -2 4 6 DAL -2 1 3 WAS -1 0 1
CIN -3 4 7 IND -2 1 3 CLE -1 1 2
DAL -3 4 7 PHI -3 0 3 DAL -2 0 2
ARI -3 5 8 ARI -3 1 4 DET -2 0 2
SF -3 5 8 NYJ -3 1 4 ARI -3 0 3
LV -4 3 7 ATL -4 0 4 SF -3 0 3

 

Best schedule strength

Tyjae Spears/Tony Pollard (TEN) – The schedule is less important than installing an entirely different offensive scheme, but it is a factor. Especially when the Titans own the most advantageous set of opponents in the NFL based from last year’s stats, the O-line is still a work in progress, and the passing effort should be more productive than it has for many years. There should be fewer carries than in recent seasons, but either Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard could surprise – if they can earn the bigger share in this committee approach post-Derrick Henry.

Kyren Williams/Blake Corum (LAR) – Kyren Williams took over in his second season and starting in Week 12, was as good as any fantasy running back in 2023. Now, he enjoys one of the best schedules with just three bad venues and a solid six best venues. It should propel Williams to being an elite back again this year, but the addition of  Blake Corum potentially muddies the waters with a committee approach of some measure. But Williams’ injury history could mean Corum gets at least a few games to himself.

Austin Ekeler/Brian Robinson Jr. (WAS) – This is another situation where the offense will be all new, and the O-line is a concern. There will also be a committee involving Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson. However, the Commanders benefit from one of the lighter slates of opponents, and the backfield should profit with four of the final five fantasy games being at home. A Week 14 bye won’t help teams in large contests for their playoffs.

Travis Etienne (JAC) – The schedule is better than most, but not hugely advantageous. Facing two good venues and no bad ones during fantasy playoffs is a plus for the player who ended as the No. 3 fantasy running back last year on a team that did not bother to get any new help for the backfield.

Worst schedule strength

Zamir White/Alexander Mattison (LV) – The Raiders are installing a new offense with OC Luke Getsy from Chicago, and they lost Josh Jacobs. The addition of Alexander Mattison to the backfield isn’t encouraging and Zamir White enters his third season with a spotty resume. Throw in an NFL-worst schedule for fantasy backs and the attraction is even less. Starting in Week 6, the Raiders face seven bad venues and only one light matchup.

Christian McCaffrey (SF) – Certainly, if any back is better than his schedule, it would be Christian McCaffrey. There’s no denying how productive he is when healthy and helped many fantasy teams reach their playoffs. The 49ers get three bad venues for the fantasy playoff weeks, but McCaffrey tends to just turn into a receiver when needed.

James Conner/Trey Benson (ARI) – Conner comes off his career-best season, but he turns 30 next year, and the Cardinals snapped up the second overall running back in the NFL draft when they picked Trey Benson. It will be a committee that will most likely evolve as the season progresses and Conner always misses three or four games. Their schedule works against them with an NFL-worst eight games played at toughest venues. And it works out poorly when they start out with almost nothing but bad matchups for the first half of the season, then brighten up with four of the next five games against easier opponents. And then, back to facing three tough defenses to end their fantasy year.

Ezekiel Elliott/Rico Dowdle (DAL) – The largest concern is the quality of rushers – an aging Ezekiel Elliott is back and paired with Rico Dowdle. There’s a chance that the Cowboys will find someone, anyone, after the final cutdown, but they only get four games in easier venues and seven with the tougher opponents.

Zack Moss (CIN) – The Bengals let Joe Mixon leave for the Texans and replaced him with Zack Moss, who has never been better than the No. 31 fantasy back. Chase Brown will figure in and the backfield looks less appealing for 2024 when the schedule works against them. Their final five games after the Week 12 bye include three tough matchups and just one softer opponent in Week 17.

2024 weekly grid  

Fantasy points allowed per game 

These are the values from 2023 that were applied to this year’s schedule to determine strength of schedule for running backs.

DEN @ARI CAR LVR WAS @SEA IND NYJ MIA SEA @WAS NYG CIN GB @IND CHI
33.9 31.9 31.2 28.3 27.8 27.6 27.4 26.9 25.4 25.3 25.0 24.9 24.8 24.7 24.6 24.4
DAL @PIT TEN @NE @LAC @CHI ARI @JAC @BUF @NYJ @BAL LAC CLE HOU JAC @NYG
24.3 24.0 24.0 23.9 23.8 23.7 23.6 23.3 23.2 22.9 22.5 22.5 21.8 21.7 21.5 21.1
@KC SF @DEN MIN PHI @LVR @NO @PHI @HOU @MIN NO BUF @ATL PIT ATL @CAR
21.0 20.8 20.7 20.2 20.1 19.7 19.6 19.5 19.4 19.2 19.2 19.0 18.9 18.6 18.4 18.4
@LAR TB @GB @CLE @CIN KC BAL @TB @SF DET @DET NE LAR @TEN @DAL @MIA
18.3 18.3 18.2 18.0 18.0 17.6 17.4 16.8 16.2 15.9 15.6 15.4 15.0 14.1 13.6 13.5

 

Titans’ Tyjae Spears hyped to reunite with Jha’Quan Jackson

Tyjae Spears will be reuniting with his former teammate after the Titans drafted Jha’Quan Jackson.

Before he was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2023, running back Tyjae Spears played his college ball at Tulane, where he was teammates with Titans 2024 sixth-round pick and wide receiver, Jha’Quan Jackson.

The two became close and were even roommates during their college days, and Spears was actually watching the draft with Jackson, waiting for his name to be called.

When that time finally came and it was the Titans who made the call to the Tulane product, Spears was thrilled.

“What do I think about it? It’s a dream come true, man,” Spears said. “To get reunited again, to hold each other accountable, that is the thing I am most excited for.”

Jackson was equally ecstatic to be reuniting with Spears.

“I am excited,” Jackson said. “I left it up to the man above, God. I believe in faith, family and football. I am grateful and honored to wear a Titan uniform, back with my dawg. It is family reunited again.”

On top of his experience as a receiver, Jackson was also a returner for the Green Wave, which is an important quality to have in his back pocket as he tries to make the roster and carve out a role for himself.

“I am willing to do anything,” Jackson said. “Offense, whatever.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Titans OC Nick Holz gives more clarity on RB situation

Titans OC Nick Holz gave more clarity on how the team will use its running backs in 2024.

The Tennessee Titans made what amounted to at least a somewhat surprising move in free agency when they inked running back Tony Pollard to a three-year deal, which was one of their first reported moves.

It was surprising, not only because of the money they spent on the position ($7-plus million annually), but also because the Titans were expected to bring someone in who offered something a bit different than 2023 third-round pick, Tyjae Spears, who is very similar to Pollard.

Whatever the case may be, the question now becomes: will anyone take the reins of this backfield, or will it be a true split?

Head coach Brian Callahan failed to answer that question during the annual league meetings last month, but offensive coordinator Nick Holz gave more clarity during his first press conference of the offseason program on Wednesday.

“We see it 1A, 1B, and they’re both just gonna play a ton, get a lot of carries and let ’em roll,” Holz said, per Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com.

The good thing about having two similar backs is the Titans won’t be tipping their hand because of who is on the field, which was an issue during the Derrick Henry era.

Holz mentioned how Pollard and Spears are interchangeable and how both can operate on all three downs.

“Everyone keeps saying interchangeable, and we see it that way,” Holz said. “We don’t want any tendencies when those guys are in there. So, we think they both can have a skill set as pass catchers, skill set running the gap schemes and all the different zone schemes we are going to have. So, that’s where it is really most exciting as we go, you are not going to say ‘when this back is in these are the plays, and when this back is in those are the plays.’ They can really function on all three downs, and really, there are not any scheme limitations.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

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.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Calvin Ridley could be the No. 1 receiver the Tennessee Titans desperately need

The Tennessee Titans were in desperate need of a No. 1 receiver, and they got one after giving Calvin Ridley a massive new contract.

All we knew before the Tennessee Titans knocked down the door and signed former Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year, $92 million deal with $50 million fully guaranteed was that the Jaguars and the New England Patriots were in the mix. But the Titans were in need of a top receiver, they had the space to make the deal, and by the way, Ridley tore Tennessee’s defense to shreds in two games last season — he caught 13 passes on 19 targets for 208 yards and three touchdowns.

2023 was a comeback year for Ridley — selected with the 26th overall pick out of Alabama by the Falcons in the 2028 draft, Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022 season after running afoul of the NFL’s nebulous policies against gambling. Atlanta traded him to the Jaguars on November 1, 2022.

Why Calvin Ridley’s year-long gambling suspension is a hypocritical farce

Last season, Ridley caught 76 passes in 132 targets for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. The Titans needed a receiver of his caliber, and while some may see it as an overpay, general manager Ran Carthon and new head coach Brian Callahan obviously disagree with that

Titans’ Tyjae Spears led NFL in 3rd/4th-and-short conversion rate

Titans RB Tyjae Spears was elite at converting 3rd- and 4th-and-short situations in 2023.

After a solid rookie season, Tennessee Titans 2023 third-round pick and running back, Tyjae Spears, is set to take on a bigger role in the team’s offense, even if fellow back Derrick Henry returns.

Spears tallied 453 rushing yards in 2023, the fifth-most among rookie backs. His 838 scrimmage yards also ranked fourth among first-year players at his position.

With Spears taking on a bigger role, he will inevitably be called into action to pick up first downs in short-yardage situations, but luckily for the Titans, he thrived in that area last season.

According to NFL analyst Warren Sharp, Spears was tied for the league lead in conversion rate on 3rd- and 4th-and-short situations (one to two yards) among backs with at least 100 rushing attempts (90% success rate).

His backfield mate, Henry, wasn’t far behind, with a success rate of 83 percent, the fourth-highest in the league.

While the Titans have things figured out atop the depth chart, they have to bring in a second back that complements Spears.

Henry would, of course, fill that role wonderfully, but it remains to be seen if he’ll even be back in Nashville in 2024. I continue to believe Henry will be donning a different uniform for the first time in his career.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]