Titans HC: “There is no backup. Both guys are starters”
A new era is underway in Nashville, TN. The offseason departure of Mike Vrabel as head coach and the hire of former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to replace him, along with the departure of Derrick Henry left many questions to be answered in the backfield. The Titans brought in former Cowboy and Memphis, TN native Tony Pollard, but he is coming off of career low in terms of efficiency despite being in the highest scoring offense in the NFL last year. Returning is second year back Tyjae Spears, who proved to be more than capable of handling change of pace duties when called upon. When asked questions about backfield usage, who is going to be the lead back and backup, and Brian Callahan is not ready to divulge any information regarding his plans for Pollard or the second year Spears just yet. It remains one of the most popular and most speculative mysteries for the 2024 season. When faced with this question, Callahan’s reply was: “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 back-up. They are both starting players to me.”
For fantasy purposes the ambiguity is maddening because a 50/50 timeshare would make them less than ideal rb2 candidates in lineup leagues and more flex worthy. If the stance by Titans coaching holds, we will likely have to rely on context clues like depth charts and watch closely during the preseason in order to make an educated guess. Pollard and Spears are currently very close in average draft position in bestball, with Pollard at rb29 and Spears at rb34. Their outlook will remain muddied unless one back is able to separate from the other in this competition. Per touch efficiency goes to the younger Spears, but Pollard has put together a top 12 season in limited work in spite of the his lack of efficiency going into his age 27 season.
Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears took 10 carries ...
Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (concussion) was ...
Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (concussion) is ...
Tennessee Titans new Head Coach, Brian Callahan, noticeably used the word “interchangeable” three times in a minute-long interview snippet when asked about the Titans plan to deploy their top two running backs this season.
The Titans backfield workload for Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears is currently undecided, with both players offering similar skillsets. Callahan expects their roles to become more defined as training camp unfolds, but clearly sees both players as valuable pieces.
Pollard signed a 3-year, $24 million contract to join the Titans earlier this offseason. While he struggled last year bouncing back from an injury suffered in the 2022 playoffs, his contract signing was one of the higher total values extended to running backs this offseason, indicating that the Titans believe he can be a highly involved contributor.
For Fantasy Managers, this coachspeak from Callahan can be interpreted as a signal that the Titans may plan to deploy a committee at running back, with both players drawing similar snap shares. Pollard currently has an ADP of 80.4 on Underdog, while Spears is close behind at 97.4. While they may creep a little closer together following this interview from Callahan, it’s a sound move to have both running backs outside the top 80 for now.
Titans GM, Ron Carthon, expressed his affinity for Tyjae Spears going into his second year during NFL Combine interviews.
It’s never a bad sign when your GM is gushing about you and praising your work ethic. Tyjae Spears appears to be in the perfect situation, with Derrick Henry set to leave during free agency, and the Titans brass giving him their vote of confidence.
Spears is clearly a player the fantasy community is excited about, and you can expect to see his dynasty value continue to rise if Henry leaves Tennessee and the Titans don’t add any serious threat in the backfield during free agency or the draft.
Fantasy managers should exercise a bit of caution this offseason with Spears. While Spears didn’t miss a single practice last year for the Titans, the fact remains that he is missing an ACL in one knee. It’s not out of the question for the Titans to add depth to their backfield, which could make Spears a sell high candidate at the moment.
Second year Running Back Hassan Haskins was placed on IR ahead of NFL cut day, likely ending his 2023 season.
Haskins was drafted in the 4th round in 2022 by the Tennessee Titans and played sparingly as a rookie, carrying the ball 25 times for 93 yards (3.72 YPC) without scoring a Touchdown. While there was some hope he could be a valuable handcuff or potential replacement to Derrick Henry, it seems those days are fading fast.
On Wednesday, August 30th, Haskins is scheduled to appear in court for an aggravated assault by strangulation charge he is facing following a domestic dispute with his then-girlfriend back on June 30th. It’s truly unclear whether this IR placement is the result of an undisclosed injury he’s been dealing with, or if it’s related to his offseason issues in any way.
The Titans are set to roll with Henry as their early down back, and Tyjae Spears as the likely favorite to be on the field for passing down work. Haskins has now additionally been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list and is no longer able to be at the Titans’ facilities. Haskins has bigger issues to worry about than Football right now and can be safely dropped in all formats.
