Tony Pollard carried the lion's share of the load in his first season in Tennessee, setting a career-high with 260 carries and 1,079 yards to go along with five touchdowns. Titans head coach Brian Callahan would like to siphon off some of those totes in 2025 to keep the shifty back fresher.
"He was battling the second half of the year quite a bit," Callahan said of Pollard, via the team's official website. "But I think in a perfect world, it's a healthier division of labor. I think he ended up carrying the ball a lot. He was our most productive running back. And then Tyjae (Spears) had some injuries early, too. So, he ended up playing a lot early and then Tyjae sort of came on as the year went on further.
"So, I like really both of those players a lot. I think we can do a better job of managing that load so they both play a little more evenly and allows us to maybe have a spot for a third back between Julius (Chestnut) and Kalel (Mullings), some heavier-style back and runner. So hopefully that division of labor gets a little more evenly distributed so he doesn't have to take the brunt of it. And we can get 17 games out of all those guys at their best."
When Pollard signed in Tennessee from Dallas, the question was whether he could continue to be the main horse while keeping the explosive plays. The 28-year-old was able to notch his third consecutive 1,000-plus yard campaign, but as in his final year with the Cowboys, the explosive plays were down from his Pro Bowl campaign of 2022.
Last season, Pollard generated 13 rushes of 15-plus yards for a 26.1 breakaway percent, per Pro Football Focus. That's up from 11 and 21.6 in 2023 but down from his career-high of 19 and 43 percent in 2022.
The idea is to curtail Pollard's carries to keep him fresher in hopes of popping a few more big-play tracks. If Spears, who played just 12 games, stays healthy, and one of the bigger backs can show consistency -- ideally, the rookie Mullings -- it should take some of the wear off the seven-year pro. Pollard isn't against sharing reps.
"Whatever way we can contribute to the success of the team," Pollard said. "Getting more guys involved, keeping guys fresh, whatever it is that is going to keep us winning games and keep guys fresh throughout the season, it's ideal."
