Tyjae Spears heads to the IR
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The Tennessee Titans are left without Tyjae Spears for at least the first four weeks of the season.
The Tennessee Titans once again find themselves in an in-opportune position. Tyjae Spears played a full 17-game slate in his 2023 rookie season before missing five games last year.
At 24-years-old, the team is now set to be without him for a portion of 2025. Tony Pollard was always going to be the lead back, but their RB2 situation heats up with the recent news regarding Spears’ injury update.
Tennessee Titans Reveal Tyjae Spears Will be Placed on IR
After being carted off in the team’s preseason opener, Spears was left stuck wondering how he’ll be factored into the 2025 season. It took a few weeks, but the Titans now know they will be without him for at least four games.
Four weeks is the baseline for any injured player heading to the injured reserve list. With Spears out until at least Sunday, October 5, it allows themselves to roster another running back. With Spears out of the equation, Pollard’s workload just saw a massive increase.
Spears could return as soon as Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. He’d join the team in the midst of a three game road stretch in Houston, Arizona, and Las Vegas.
Pollard joined the Titans in 2024 and immediately proved his worth. The 28-year-old now has three straight 1,000+ yard seasons after reaching a career high, 1,079, last season. He carried the ball 260 times, also the most he’s ever had.
Even though his production was through the roof, Spears still had a massive impact on the team’s run game. He provided an extra spark, contributing four rushing touchdowns last season. With 84 carries for 312 yards, Spears finished with just one fewer TD than Pollard.
Titans Depth Chart Without Tyjae Spears
Make no mistake, this was always going to be Pollard’s offense. Cam Ward has a reliable running back who is on a quest for his fourth straight 1,000 yard season. Depending on how Ward and the rest of the offense operates, there should be no reason he can’t obtain that goal.
Elsewhere, Julius Chestnut is able to carve out his spot on this team. The 24-year-old averaged 4.6 yards per carry last season, by far the most of his career. He had some sort of involvement in all 17 games for the first time in his short career. With 22 attempts, that marked 13 more than he had in his 2022 season.
It’s hard to imagine a world where Chestnut remains RB2 when Spears returns to the team. He had 102 yards on the ground last season to go along with 11 receiving yards. Pollard had the second most receptions of his career, 41, finishing the season with 238 receiving yards. In total, the former Dallas Cowboys RB had 1,317 yards.
Chestnut had 12 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown this preseason. His touchdown came in the team’s 23-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He finished that game with five carries for 28 yards. The week prior, he had four carries for 16 yards. In Week 1, he had three carries for 18 yards. Keep in mind, Chestnut had a 16 yard carry against the Vikings.
The explosiveness is there, but there’s a clear discrepancy between Chestnut and Pollard. Kalel Mullings is also on the depth chart though he did suffer an ankle injury in the team’s preseason finale. Should Mullings be good to go, the team’s No. 188 overall selection in the 2025 draft is a safe bet to assume the RB3 role.