With Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears locked in as bell cows, rookie Nicholas Singleton fights to revive a rushing attack that ranked near the bottom last season.
The Tennessee Titans had no running game in 2025.
Despite Tony Pollard's best efforts, the Titans averaged 93.5 rushing yards per game last season, which was the third-fewest in the league.
Even though Pollard just had another 1,000-yard season in the Music City, it didn't matter. Pollard is doing something only one other NFL player is currently doing.
He and Derrick Henry are the only running backs to have 1,000 rushing yards in the last four seasons.
Pollard tallied 1,082 rushing yards last season. Then, there was Tyjae Spears, who missed a few games due to injury and had 283 on the year. Cam Ward actually had more rushing yards than the next running back on the roster, Julius Chestnut.
Ward ran for 159 yards, while Chestnut had 40 and Kalel Mullings accounted for 18.
This is not sustainable if you expect to win football games in this league. General Manager Mike Borgonzi understands the importance of a consistent running game.
He added offensive linemen Austin Schlottmann and Cordell Volson in free agency, and drafted Indiana center Pat Coogan and Arkansas guard Fernando Carmona in the 2026 NFL Draft.
He also drafted Nicholas Singleton, who looks to be competing for the No. 3 spot in the running back after what Robert Saleh said at Thursday's press conference.
Saleh was asked how Singleton factors into the mix at running back and shared that Pollard and Spears will be the main cogs, and that the Penn State product must work his way in.
"Early, obviously," Saleh said. "Big back, fast. He's learning it all. He's got a long way to go from that regard, like all rookies do. But to be clear, Tony [Pollard] and Taj [Tyjae Spears] are the bell cows of this football team, and Nick's [Singleton] got to compete his way in to find his way into that group."
Singleton had a productive college career at Penn State.
He left the program as the all-time leading touchdown scorer (55), breaking the previous record of 53 set by current Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley from 2015-17.
Singleton is fourth in career rushing yards (3,461) in Penn State history.
However, he fell to the fifth round of this year's draft after suffering a foot injury, known as a Jones Fracture, at the Senior Bowl back in January.
Dr. Ronald Derr of the Bone and Joint Institute in Franklin said that kind of injury needs around three months to heal correctly.
Adding Singleton to the mix could do the Titans' rushing attack some good if his game translates well to the NFL, especially with the injuries that have plagued Spears in recent years. Spears hasn't played a full season since his rookie year in 2023.
He played in 12 games in 2024 and 13 last season due to injuries.
Singleton can not only boost the Titans' running game but, with consistency there, could take the pressure off Ward, which would be extremely crucial in 2026.
