Disturbing Titans trend is not getting any better despite coaching change

The Tennessee Titans sit at 1-11 following Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. The biggest and most important thing is Cam Ward's development, and his Week 12 showing versus the Seattle Seahawks was his best game of the season so far, but the entire team took a collective step backwards on Sunday.

Ward's progression was a theme throughout the month of November, and he had been steadily getting better since Brian Callahan got fired. The underlying numbers show an actually significant jump for Ward since they moved on from Callahan.

That being said, another common theme from the season has been Ward's supporting cast repeatedly letting him down, and in few areas is that more obvious than the run game. It's crazy to think of given the Titans' organizational history, but the truth is they have been abhorrent on the ground.

Flawed roster construction is coming back to haunt Tennessee Titans in run game

Things are so barren right now that Ward was the Titans' leading rusher in Weeks 11 and 12, with a total of 70 yards from both games. Tony Pollard rushed for a team-high 60 yards versus the Jaguars, but the Titans weren't in the game long enough for the offense to stay committed to the run. There are a multitude of reasons for why the run game has become so bad, and Mike Borgonzi desperately needs to remake his running back room going into 2026.

Pollard and Tyjae Spears have been the headliners of the Titans backfield since the start of the 2024 offseason. When Pollard replaced Derrick Henry, it seemed like a sensible move, as the Titans were getting away from Mike Vrabel's run-heavy offense.

But now that we have seen this running back duo in action, we can see how pairing them was not the best idea. Once again, their skillsets are very similar, with both being speedy, shifty, pass catchers who are not true lead backs, but rather as parts of a committee backfield.

That alone is not going to result in a bad fit, but it really hurt the Titans was when you considered Spears' injury history. Coach Callahan wanted to truly split the workload between Pollard and Spears this year and last year, but Spears could never stay healthy long enough for that to happen, and it all but forced Pollard to take a huge workload in his absence.

Pollard was productive last year, but he's regressed in 2025, averaging under 4.0 yards per carry for the first time in his career. He truly looks washed, and all signs point to him being cut this coming offseason due to his regression.

The Titans will obviously have to find someone to replace Pollard. Spears can't physically handle a lead-back workload without getting injured. The former Tulane standout will be on the final year of a contract that feels unlikely to get extended.

One way or another, the Titans desperately have to revamp their backfield this offseason. The current setup is not working and there are no other good in house options. They did just draft Kalel Mullings in the sixth round, but we've yet to really see him.

Mullings has been injured for most of the season, only being active for a handful of games with zero carries. The Titans should give Mullings more opportunities in the final weeks of the season, as we know Spears and Pollard are not the future, so they might as well analyze the rookie.

If Mullings does well, that would be great because he would give the Titans a nice option between the tackles. If not, no big deal as they did not invest much capital in him.

Either way, changes need to be made to the backfield. The Titans absolutely need to get it right for Ward's development, and need to make sure they strike a balance between desired skillsets and ensuring guys can realistically stay healthy.