Titans ready to deploy one-two RB punch with Pollard, Spears
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The backfield for the Tennessee Titans will have a different look when the season kicks off in the fall. Instead of a primary feature back, Tennessee is adopting a “two is better than one” approach.
Gone are the days of the “exotic smashmouth” or ball-control offense with Derrick Henry leading the way.
The Titans are looking to light up the scoreboard under new coach Brian Callahan. Tennessee signed former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard to a three-year deal when the new league year began last month to pair with second-year playmaker Tyjae Spears.
That’s a pretty formidable one-two punch,” Callahan said at the annual NFL meetings last week. “Two guys that both can score touchdowns, they got some explosiveness and make-you-miss in their game and catch the ball out of the backfield.”
Not having a clear-cut back will be a relatively new concept to Callahan. Joe Mixon served as the primary ball carrier for most of Callahan’s five years as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. Mixon had at least 210 carries in all but one of the last five years, with the exception being in 2020 when he carried the ball 119 times before a foot injury in Week 6 landed him on injured reserve.
But Callahan has been a part of a staff that found ways to keep multiple backs involved in the game and give them opportunities to impact the game.
In the 2021 AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bengals dialed up a well-timed screen pass to Samaje Perine after Mixon was stuffed for a 2-yard loss in the second quarter. Perine caught the pass and weaved his way 41 yards down the field for a touchdown to make the score 21-10 instead of 21-3 going into halftime. Cincinnati eventually pulled off the 27-24 upset to advance to Super Bowl LVI.
