Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard is in his first full offseason with the team after rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2024.
Pollard, 28, notched a career-high 1,079 yards with the Titans last season despite missing a game in Week 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Even though Pollard had his best season yet in the NFL, he still feels as though he could take it another step forward. He hopes that he can be more aggressive than he was a year ago.
"Just being more aggressive with my body, keeping my body in shape, not having as long of a downtime in between the season and when I get back going for the offseason," Pollard said via team reporter Jim Wyatt.
"Just knowing, being older, being a little bit more of a vet in this league, you have to keep your body in shape so when it is time to get going you'll be ready."
Very few running backs have a lot of impact after their first five years in the league. Pollard is going into Year 7 still on an uphill trajectory, and he is still finding ways to get even better, which should make the Titans hopeful for what's to come.
After winning just three games in his first season with the team, Pollard has a clear goal in mind.
"Whatever way we can contribute to the success of the team," Pollard said via Wyatt. "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."
Pollard knows he has depth behind him in Tyjae Spears and sixth-round rookie Kalel Mullings, but he also knows that he is the number one guy, and the team needs him performing at a high level in order to succeed.
Titans HC Offers RB Update
The Tennessee Titans hope to have a better running attack in the 2025 season than they did a year ago.
The Titans were 19th in rushing in the 2024 season, which isn't terrible, but there is certainly room for improvement.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan likes what he is seeing from the running backs at this point in the offseason, especially Tony Pollard, who led the team in rushing.
"He was battling the second half of the year quite a bit," Callahan said of Pollard via team reporter Jim Wyatt.
"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."
If the Titans can get more balance out of their backfield, they will have a chance to be better than they were a year ago on offense. Cam Ward will certainly take a lot of attention as the No. 1 overall pick, but a strong running game will make his life a whole lot easier as he gets adjusted to life in the NFL.
