Titans Offense Takes a Hit as 24-Year-Old RB is Carted Off in Preseason Opener

Not only did the Tennessee Titans get embarrassed in their preseason opener, but their RB2 went down with an injury. Tony Pollard had the lone touchdown of the day as the 28-year-old looks to pick up where he left off last season.

Injuries are going to be a concern on any team, but especially one with a rookie quarterback. No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward, played well in his two drives with the team. Moving forward, it remains to be seen how long he’ll be left without RB2.

Tyjae Spears Carted Off Field in Tampa as Titans Confirm High Ankle Sprain

If Tyjae Spears were to miss an extended period of time, he’d be replaced by Julis Chestnut or Kalel Mullings. The Titans third-year running back recorded three carries for -1 yards. While his longest run of the night was for three yards, he ended the night with negative yardage.

Looking at his potential replacements, both impressed. Mullings led the team with 7 carries for 33 yards. He also had the longest run of the night, 12 yards. Chestnut was one of three backs to receive just three carries. He turned those into 18 yards.

Upon going down with an injury, it was immediately speculated to be lower leg related. Shockingly, the injury happened on his lone reception of the night. Spears was looking to get back to his 2023 receiving numbers as he recorded 13 yards on the catch.

After further review, the Titans confirmed it to be a high ankle sprain. Dr. Jesse Morse took to social media to elaborate, “Depending on severity, this could range from grade 1, and he will be ready by Week 1. But if this is a grade 2, he could miss several weeks and PUP would be a possibility. Grade 3 would require surgery and PUP.”

Brian Callahan’s Comments and Tony Pollard’s Season Outlook

Once Tennessee figures out the severity of Spears’ injury, it will directly impact Pollard’s outlook. The start of the season could see a massive increase in his workload. One user looked back on the 2019 4th round picks numbers last season when Spears missed four games.

The user noted Pollard’s 116.2 yards per game. That comes out to a 1,976 yard pace for the season. At that pace, Pollard would smash his season high by over 900 yards. As unrealistic as it is, the point remains that Pollard thrived when Spears was out injured.

Titans head coach, Brian Callahan kept his comments brief on the injury, “Further evaluation. We’ll see. Looks like it’s probably an ankle, we’ll see what the severity is as we evaluate it a little further.”

Moving forward, Mullings and Chestnut will battle for the RB2 spot. There’s still a chance that Spears could return in time for their season opener in Denver, but that remains to be seen. Titans fans now have a crucial position battle to watch in their remaining two preseason games.

One of the main causes for concern is knowing that Spears now has potentially two major injuries in the past two seasons. Entering his third-year in the league, the Tulane graduate only played 17 games in his 2023 rookie season.