NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The backfield for the Tennessee Titans will have a different look when the season kicks off in the fall. Instead of a primary feature back, Tennessee is adopting a "two is better than one" approach.
Gone are the days of the "exotic smashmouth" or ball-control offense with Derrick Henry leading the way.
The Titans are looking to light up the scoreboard under new coach Brian Callahan. Tennessee signed former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard to a three-year deal when the new league year began last month to pair with second-year playmaker Tyjae Spears.
"That's a pretty formidable one-two punch," Callahan said at the annual NFL meetings last week. "Two guys that both can score touchdowns, they got some explosiveness and make-you-miss in their game and catch the ball out of the backfield."
Not having a clear-cut back will be a relatively new concept to Callahan. Joe Mixon served as the primary ball carrier for most of Callahan's five years as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. Mixon had at least 210 carries in all but one of the last five years, with the exception being in 2020 when he carried the ball 119 times before a foot injury in Week 6 landed him on injured reserve.
But Callahan has been a part of a staff that found ways to keep multiple backs involved in the game and give them opportunities to impact the game.
In the 2021 AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bengals dialed up a well-timed screen pass to Samaje Perine after Mixon was stuffed for a 2-yard loss in the second quarter. Perine caught the pass and weaved his way 41 yards down the field for a touchdown to make the score 21-10 instead of 21-3 going into halftime. Cincinnati eventually pulled off the 27-24 upset to advance to Super Bowl LVI.
Spears and Pollard are just as capable of taking screens or short passes the distance. Pollard's 462 yards after contact were the fifth-most last season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, 13% of Spears' carries went for 10 or more yards, which ranked 11th out of 49 running backs with at least 100 carries.
Titans general manager Ran Carthon feels Spears should see increased production after carrying the ball 100 times for 453 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his 52 receptions for 385 yards.
"He's made of the right [stuff]," Carthon said of Spears at the combine.
Having backs with a similar skill set eliminates the predictability that hampered the playcalling last season. The Titans couldn't effectively call the same plays with Henry on the field as Spears.
Typically, if Henry was in the game, the Titans were running the ball, so defenses were able to load up against the run. Henry just wasn't a natural option in the passing game outside of screen passes.
While Pollard isn't the same threat as Henry in the rushing game, a combination of he and Spears makes it easier to open up the offense.
"You have two guys who are really sort of interchangeable," Callahan added. "Both with a little bit different skillsets, that I think really add something unique to the offense."
The Titans employed Spears in two-back packages with Henry last season. Tennessee lined Spears up in multiple spots with Henry remaining in the backfield and found ways to get him the ball in space.
Pollard has been a part of joint backfields dating back to his college days at Memphis when he shared touches with current free agent running back Darrell Henderson Jr. The shared touches continued in the NFL where Pollard quickly found a role as a change-of-pace back to then Pro Bowler Ezekiel Elliott.
Last season gave Pollard a chance to be the feature back with the departure of Elliott -- resulting in 1,005 rushing yards on 252 carries. So how does Pollard plan to remain productive while going back to a joint backfield?
"Just keep the mindset of control what you can control," Pollard said. "Making the most of my opportunities, make them count. I'm coming in expecting to help and contribute."
The dual backfield will work if the atmosphere is competitive but not combative. Friendly competition should push Spears and Pollard, and the Titans are banking on it to bring versatility and a new approach to the run game.
"I let the front office do their job, and I'm going to do my job," Spears told the Titans' team site in February. "And my job is to go in there and compete day in and day out."