Even though Tony Pollard is set to hit free agency in the offseason, the Tennessee Titans decided to keep him around past the trade deadline.
That leads us to have two takeaways about this decision. The Titans must feel confident about Pollard sticking around past this season if they chose not to capitalize on his value after his latest performances. General manager Mike Borgonzi has already made it clear that the team "would love to have him back after this year," so it's certainly possible he stays in Tennessee after this season.
It would have been understandable if the Titans chose to deal Pollard ahead of the trade deadline, mainly because of his contract status, his increasing value, and the fact that the team is 1-7 and has no playoff aspirations for this year.
But at the end of the day, Tennessee chose to keep him around, and it was the right decision. Extending his contract beyond this season just became realistic.
Keeping Tony Pollard gives Titans some roster stability
For starters, the Titans already have a ton of holes and weaknesses throughout the roster they need to address (namely their defensive line - especially after the Jeffery Simmons trade -, their safety depth - especially after the Amani Hooker trade). Trading Pollard would have just given them less roster stability, and it would have added another priority on their to-do list.
Tennessee doesn't have a clear-cut replacement for Pollard. Tyjae Spears has been underwhelming and is also set to be a free agent in the offseason, and players like Nicholas Singleton and Michael Carter are just depth pieces at this stage in their respective careers.
Keeping Pollard past the deadline gives the Titans (and, perhaps more importantly, Cam Ward) some much-needed stability on the roster. He has been a fantastic asset to the team since signing with them in 2024, and especially given how much roster turnover they have endured recently, it was important for them to have at least some consistency.
Tony Pollard staying should be great for Cam Ward's development
Ward is still developing and finding his footing at the NFL level. The last time we saw him take the field, he had the best performance of his career against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8. He might finally be building some momentum, and Pollard has been a huge part of that.
It's not a coincidence that Ward's best performance was during the same game Pollard ran for 117 yards on 21 attempts with two touchdowns (and caught three receptions for 20 yards). The Memphis native has taken a lot of pressure off of Ward by opening up the pass game and acting as a security blanket, and it is helping the Miami alum's development.
Making a big change to their offense now could have been a massive mistake by the Titans. Ward is still trying to prove he can be their franchise quarterback, and they need to do whatever they can to support him and his development. By choosing to keep Pollard at the trade deadline, the Titans are taking a step in the right direction.
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