Tony Pollard was the Tennessee Titans’ most reliable player in 2024. But is that the best he’s got?
This is the 2nd running back portion of an ongoing article series, breaking down the Titans projected 53-man roster one position at a time. If you missed the Quarterback edition, what Kalel Mullings will actually be, or Tyjae Spears' most important season ever, here are those stories linked.
In this article, I want to explore what Tony Pollard brought to the table in his first year in Tennessee, and whether he’s hit his ceiling:
Running Backs
- Tony Pollard
- Tyjae Spears
- Kalel Mullings
Cut: Julius Chestnut, Tyrion Davis-Price
Has Pollard Peaked?
During what ended up being a disastrous 2024 season for the Titans, I felt like each week I found myself saying something like “nobody on this roster is blameless for that poor showing… except Tony Pollard.”
He quickly became the Titans golden boy, the firstborn son who could do no wrong. He truly was one of the only constantly redeemable players week in and week out. And that wasn’t the story many expected for him when he was signed to a 3yr/$21.75M contract in the spring of 2024. Once thought to be the promising heir to Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas, Pollard was castoff after a fifth year with the Cowboys playing on the franchise tag. He put up just over 1,000yds and 15 touchdowns in his final two seasons there, but Jerry Jones & Co. felt they could do better for the price.
The Titans scooped him up when there were serious questions as to whether he could be a volume lead back. For some guys, they’re at their best when allowed to be a rotational player. And in Dallas, the perception was that Pollard was better behind Zeke than he was at running the show.
Well, it wasn’t the Titans plan from the outset, but what ended up happening in 2024 was that Pollard ran the show. His partner in crime Tyjae Spears missed time, and some weeks running the ball was just about all this Titans offense could do right. So Pollard got the most volume he’s ever seen—260 attempts—and posted a career-high 1079 yards. He was very, very good last year.
But the question now is… does he have another gear? Is that the best we’ll ever see from Tony? His coaches don’t think so, and I think they have a point.
His volume made for nice counting stats, but the efficiency tells a different story. At 4.2YPC in 2024, it was Pollard’s second-worst mark in six NFL seasons. That’s not surprising, given how much they leaned on him. That’s was especially the case down the stretch, when it became a wonder he was even playing on Sunday at all. Speaking with those familiar with his health situation behind the scenes, there were weeks in December that team doctors were frankly shocked he could run at all. His effort and grit last year was respected by everybody in that building more than the average fan will ever know.
So what happens if this year, the players we’re about to talk about can better share the burden with Pollard? What can he look like when he can be more of a “1A” instead of a “1”? I think it could be even better than we saw last year. But it’ll be on these next two guys to allow him to play that way.
