The Tennessee Titans will run it back with Tony Pollard as their starting running back this offseason. They were linked to Jeremiyah Love throughout the pre-draft process. Despite Love going No. 3 overall, it feels like the Titans were always zeroing in on Carnell Tate with the fourth selection anyway.
The Titans also didn’t show any interest in veteran running backs in free agency. They drafted Nicholas Singleton out of Penn State on Day Three. Mike Borgonzi and Robert Saleh were totally content
to move forward with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears as their backfield tandem for the third consecutive season.
Pollard is attempting to secure his fifth-straight 1,000 yard rushing season in 2026. He’s been the definition of consistency over the past half-decade. Derrick Henry is the only other running back in the NFL with such an impressive streak.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 32 starting running backs in the NFL. They placed Pollard 21st. It may feel slightly harsh to Titans fans, as Jaylen Warren, Omarion Hampton, and Chase Brown are among those who ranked higher than Pollard.
“Pollard has been a bell-cow back in each of the last few seasons and has now crossed 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive years,” Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick wrote. “While his 1,082 rushing yards in 2025 represented a career high, it was also accompanied by a career-low 70.5 PFF rushing grade. That’s mainly due to Pollard forcing a missed tackle on just 16% of his carries, which was 36th in the NFL. Still, he’s a player who can handle a heavy workload for an offense, which is useful for the Titans as they continue to let quarterback Cam Ward get his feet wet.”
It’s true that Pollard was rather pedestrian last season when it came to forcing missed tackles and creating yardage for himself. The former Memphis standout essentially gets what is blocked for him. Hopefully Pollard and the Titans’ offensive line will combine to be effective in 2026.
