Letting go of Derrick Henry was always going to be hard for Tennessee Titans fans, but it was the right move and it is official now with the signing of former Dallas Cowboys running back, Tony Pollard.
Pollard was projected to get a 3 year/$20 million deal on the open market, but the Titans gave him a 3 year/$24 million deal. Not a massive overpay, and when you have as much cap space as Tennessee does, it is a good idea to slightly overpay to get young guys that you want.
This move puts Tony Pollard back into his role as part of a two-headed backfield like he was early in his career with the Dallas Cowboys. During that time he was a big play machine and he allowed the Cowboys to run a modern offense instead of the Zeke Elliott-heavy offense that they were before he arrived.
Some people have concerns about this move because it is paying a running back for an offense that was supposed to be stepping into the 21st century. That is a surface-level analysis, that can be explained by the difference between Derrick Henry and Tony Pollard in passing situations.
Derrick Henry had his most productive years as a receiver in 2022 and 2023. When you combine both of those seasons, Henry had 61 receptions. Compare that to last year where Spears and Pollard were 2 of 14 running backs with 50+ receptions, and you can see where the vision is for this team.
It should also be noted that Marcus Mosher (who covers the Dallas Cowboys) has turned into a good pass blocker, which only makes him more valuable for the Titans.
I really thought Tony Pollard improved as a pass blocker over the last two years.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 11, 2024
Really going to help out Will Levis early on.
Despite the deceptively large price tag, I still don't think this is a big move for the Tennessee Titans. They were always going to add a backup running back, and they checked that box with someone who fits what they want to do very well.
Still, there are much bigger needs to be filled and bigger names that could be added. Those additions will tell us more about what the Tennessee Titans are going to do going forward, but this is a nice minor addition that will pay dividends quickly.