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Tyjae Spears

Latest On Titans’ RBs Room

July 10th, 2024 at 9:21pm CST by Ely Allen

The King has left the building in Tennessee, and now, for the first time since Derrick Henry was drafted in 2016, the Titans will need to form a running backs group that doesn’t include the big man from Yulee. One of the benefits of rostering Henry was that the need for depth was never that pressing as he led the league in carries in four of the last five years, only failing to do so in 2021 due to injury. In 2024, Tennessee will need to take a bit of a closer look at their depth chart.

The top of the room is clear: last year’s third-round pick Tyjae Spears will be joined by free agent signing Tony Pollard as a 1A-1B duo in the backfield. In his rookie season, Spears spelled Henry with 100 carries for 453 rushing yards and two touchdowns, adding 52 catches, 385 yards, and another score through the air. This was the biggest performance by an RB2 in Nashville since Dion Lewis joined Henry in 2018 as the two took over for DeMarco Murray.

Pollard joins the Titans after five years in Dallas, four of which saw him tied to the hip of Ezekiel Elliott. After leading the team with career highs of 1,007 yards to go along with nine rushing touchdowns and 371 receiving yards with three more scores, Pollard was finally given the opportunity to lead the running backs group in Dallas last year. While he nearly matched his prior year numbers with 1,005 rushing yards, six touchdowns, and 311 receiving yards, it was accomplished in a much less efficient manner as Pollard recorded career lows in yards per carry and yards per reception.

After appearing to struggle in the lead role last year, Pollard returns to a comfortable pairing, this time with Spears. It will be interesting to see how the two are utilized exactly, but Tennessee has two strong options as it prepares to form a rushing attack without Henry for the first time in eight years. Another interesting aspect of training camp will be how the team addresses the depth behind Spears and Pollard.

Right now, two third-year backs, Hassan Haskins and Julius Chestnut, are battling for the RB3 role. Haskins has 25 carries for 93 yards to his name in the NFL, while Chestnut has nine for 12. Through the air, Haskins has more receptions (10) and yards (57) than Chestnut (3-41), but Chestnut appears to be more dynamic receiving out of the backfield. Neither back recorded an offensive stat last year as Haskins dealt with legal and health issues and Chestnut played only on special team.

Haskins and Chestnut are joined in the offseason competition by two undrafted free agents in Dillon Johnson and Jabari Small. Both Johnson and Small bring strong college resumes with them, but a lack of experience will likely hold them out of the roster battle for now.

Both Haskins and Pollard are strong special teams contributors, and that may be what decides the RB3 job. If both players have a strong enough camp, there’s a chance the team holds on to four rushers on the 53-man roster, but likely they are competing for one spot behind Spears and Pollard.

Latest On Titans’ RB Plans

April 12th, 2024 at 2:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

For the first time since 2016, Derrick Henry will be absent from the Titans’ backfield when the 2024 season kicks off. Tennessee was one of the teams which quickly made a notable addition at the running back spot, though, adding Tony Pollard to the fold.

The ex-Cowboy took a three-year deal worth $21.75MM ($10.5MM guaranteed) to head to Nashville. Not long before that agreement was worked out – on the first day of the negotiating window – Pollard was reported to be willing to take a discount and remain in Dallas. Instead, the $7.25MM annual average value of his pact has led to the expectation he will handle lead back duties in his new home.

When speaking about the team’s backfield approach, though, new offensive coordinator Nick Holz said (via Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com) Pollard and Tyjae Spears will operate on a 1A-1B basis. The former has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons (although his efficiency in doing so last year led to criticism related to his ability to handle a large workload).

The latter, meanwhile, had an encouraging rookie campaign in 2023. Splitting time with Henry, Spears saw a healthy 53% offensive snap share. The former third-rounder recorded 453 yards and two touchdowns on 100 carries, adding another 352 yards and one score on 52 receptions. Remaining productive as a pass-catching option could help Spears maintain a regular role in the Titans’ new-look offense.

Of course, Tennessee’s offseason has also included the big-money addition of wideout Calvin Ridley. He, DeAndre Hopkins and 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks will play a pivotal role in the Titans’ passing game during the first full season with Will Levis under center. First-time head coach Brian Callahan will call plays on offense, and his success in that regard will go a long way in determining the Titans’ fate in 2024. With respect to the RB position, a committee approach appears to be in place.

Titans Eyeing Tyjae Spears As RB2

July 11th, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Most of the Titans’ efforts to install a quality back behind Derrick Henry have not proven successful. The only back to qualify as a reliable option throughout his tenure has since changed teams twice.

D’Onta Foreman, who belatedly became the team’s top option to replace an injured Henry in 2021, has signed with the Panthers and Bears in consecutive offseasons. The productive fill-in’s departure prompted the Titans to draft Hassan Haskins in the 2022 fourth round, but the Michigan product totaled just 25 carries as a rookie and was arrested on an assault charge last month.

Haskins is expected to vie for the Titans’ third-string job with Jonathan Ward and Julius Chestnut, per Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. This will leave third-round rookie Tyjae Spears as the primary backup to Henry. The Tulane product is on track to “one-two punch” with the accomplished veteran, Wyatt adds.

Foreman and Haskins are just two of the players to be added since DeMarco Murray‘s 2018 exit (and subsequent retirement). Tennessee gave Dion Lewis a four-year, $19.8MM deal in 2018. While the ex-Patriots back operated as a nice Henry complement that season, he struggled to carve out much of a role in 2019. The Titans released Lewis in 2020. They drafted Darrynton Evans in the 2020 third round, but the Appalachian State product struggled with injuries and could not earn much playing time. Tennessee added Adrian Peterson following Henry’s November 2021 foot fracture and also tried Jeremy McNichols. Foreman, whom the team signed to its practice squad shortly after Henry’s injury, ended up playing the lead replacement role.

Spears will be the latest mid-round pick to receive an opportunity. A four-year Tulane contributor, the 201-pound back broke out with a 1,581-yard rushing season in 2022. He concluded his career with a 205-yard, four-touchdown performance in Tulane’s Cotton Bowl win over USC.

The Titans made Spears, the No. 81 overall pick, this year’s fifth running back selected. Spears ran a modest 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the Green Wave’s pro day, after not running at the Combine. An NFL.com report during draft weekend indicated Spears does not have an ACL in his one of his knees, after two tears, and had battled arthritis. He was not on every team’s draft board due to the medical concern, Daniel Jeremiah noted at the time. When asked about the report during Titans offseason workouts, Spears attempted to brush it off by indicating he was healthy.

The elusive rookie was a full participant in OTAs and minicamp. Considering the Titans’ run-oriented offense and lack of proven wide receivers, Spears may be called upon frequently. And he now represents the team’s top option if Henry, 29, goes down. Henry’s four-year, $50MM deal expires after this season.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/25/23

May 25th, 2023 at 8:44pm CST by Ben Levine

One mid-round draft pick signing to pass along:

Tennessee Titans

Spears had a breakout 2022 campaign at Tulane, finishing with 1,837 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. That performance led to him being selected by the Titans in the third round of the draft, and he should get some reps as a rookie behind Derrick Henry. Spears will compete with Hassan Haskins for that RB2 spot on the depth chart.