With the signing of former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard in free agency, the Tennessee Titans have a formidable duo in the backfield for 2024, even without Derrick Henry on the roster.
Pollard and 2023 third-round draft pick Tyjae Spears are both agile runners and difficult to tackle. They both can pass protect and run routes. They both have a nose for the endzone.
So who is going to be the starter and get a lion’s share of the touches this season? Titans head coach Brian Callahan provided an update on that situation from the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando on Monday.
According to Callahan, the Titans currently view Pollard and Spears as “interchangeable" at running back. That, of course, is a luxury for any offense. That means they're both dynamic enough to play in any situation and will be running on fresh legs pretty consistently. But interchangeable roles may not last forever for Pollard and Spears.
As Callahan told Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com, defined backfield roles may become more clear as the season gets closer.
"We added, I think, some explosiveness to our offense. Obviously when you pair up Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears together, that's a pretty formidable 1-2 punch," said Callahan of his running back duo. "Two guys that both can score touchdowns, have some explosiveness to make you miss in their game, and catch the ball out of the backfield and can protect."
"We'll find out. As I see them right now, they're both pretty interchangeable," said the Titans' head coach when asked about the usage of Pollard and Spears. "But I do think that there will be some definition of role as we get going, get the pads on, and start playing. Those guys will probably separate themselves in some role or another that they'll really stick their teeth into. But as of right now, they seem pretty interchangeable. We'll find out more as we go."
However the workload ends up getting split, I think the fact that this is even a conversation is a win for the Titans. For the past couple seasons, Tennessee has been totally one-dimensional and predictable on offense.
Even last year with Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears in the backfield, things were pretty straight forward: Henry for running downs, Spears for passing downs. Pollard and Spears may have particular run schemes that they excel in or areas that they stand out, but I think it's going to be much more challenging for an opposing defense to gameplan against the backfield in 2024.
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