Tennessee Titans Running Back Suffers Injury: What’s Next?

Tennessee Titans Running Back Suffers Injury: What’s Next?

He was seen leaving Raymond James Stadium on Saturday night in a boot and crutches, per Paul Kuharsky, so the prognosis wasn’t as bad as initially feared. The news that he left the game on a cart made a significant number of Titans fans’ hearts drop for a beat.

Spears enters a vital part of his career, the third season, as the primary backup to Tony Pollard. The injury will sideline him for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain, according to head coach Brian Callahan. He’ll be out for a few weeks at minimum; it remains to be seen how much time Spears ultimately misses. What does the next few weeks entail for Spears and the team?

What’s next?

While it is early to speculate on the extent of Spears’ ankle injury, renowned Dr. Jesse Morse offers a timetable for a possible Spears return.

Depending on the severity of the injury, Tennessee might pursue multiple avenues to find a temporary solution until he recovers. If it’s a minor sprain, the roster won’t change much, and Tony Pollard receives a bigger workload, which will improve his fantasy prospects. With that said, expect sixth-round rookie Kalel Mullings to get more looks, regardless of circumstances. Anything more severe than a grade one sprain, the roster construction receives more scrutiny.

Internal Options

The Titans keep four running backs on the final 53-man roster and give Kalel Mullings more work to keep Pollard fresh. Julius Chestnut, Jermar Jefferson, and Jordan Mims are currently battling each other for that potentially final fourth running back spot. Whoever wins the competition will need to provide special teams ability to win it and be available to spot rep the first two backs. The Spears injury certainly opens up more opportunities for the other backs to show the coaches that they merit a roster spot.

External Options

The free agency market features luminaries as Chase Edmonds and Jamaal Williams. Two former Titans populate the market as well. D’Onta Foreman and Josh Kelley played in Nashville recently, within the past several seasons. Kelley played for the Titans as recently as last season. Former Chargers and Ravens running back Gus Edwards could merit a look as well. Tennessee will be meticulously monitoring the waiver wire once camp cuts occur, regardless of the injury issue. Perhaps names like Trey Sermon, Dylan Laube, Nyheim Miller-Hines, Ian Wheeler, Michael Carter, and Lawrence Toafili could be available after cutdowns.