Dion Lewis
When the Tennessee Titans signed running back Dion Lewis to a four-year, $19.8 million contract in 2018, we figured it would take him more than one season to eventually look like a shell of himself. Well, that has become a reality in just his second season with the team.
Lewis is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and reception through five games and his 30 total yards on Sunday were a season-high. He hasn’t made any positive impact for the Titans offense — like, literally none.
What Lewis has done is make a depressing screen game even worse, and he’s contributed to the Titans’ offensive ineptitude with at least three drops that I can remember off the top of my head. Bear in mind, this is a guy who we all considered to be a pass-catching specialist and a great complement to starting running back, Derrick Henry.
That catch should give Dion Lewis' 2.4 yards per reception number a boost. #Titans
— Titan Sized (@Titan_Sized) October 6, 2019
With fellow back David Fluellen dealing with an injury and being placed on Injured Reserve, the Titans once again rolled with just two backs in Week 5.
That has got to change, and the Titans can’t simply add a third back for the sake of adding one. Tennessee needs to bring a running back in who can actually make an impact and push Lewis for playing time. Last week, we listed three realistic options to replace Fluellen, but it remains to be seen if any of those players will be enough.
Personally, I’m done with Dion Lewis, but chances are we’re stuck with him the rest of the season because cutting him would result in significant dead cap money and he has no value in a trade with how he is playing. Thankfully, the Titans have an out in 2020 that’ll cost a little over $1.1 million.