Why the Titans Decided to Keep Tony Pollard at Trade Deadline

Tennessee Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi wants plenty of draft capital to speed up this rebuild. 

The Titans got three draft picks from the Jeffery Simmons trade. The Titans will now have multiple first-round picks in the next two drafts because of that. 

Tennessee got a second-round pick from trading Amani Hooker to the Buffalo Bills. The Titans now have extra picks in the first and second rounds of the 2027 and 2028 NFL Drafts. 

With Borgonzi having a clear strategy to get this team off the ground, the Titans decided to keep Tony Pollard and not trade him at the deadline. If the Titans are trying to get as much draft capital as possible, why keep Pollard? 

Pollard has been playing very well lately, and his trade value has most definitely improved as a result. Pollard is fresh off two consecutive 100-yard performances in the Titans' last two games. 

The Titans could maybe have gotten a third- or fourth-round pick for Pollard. However, they decided to keep him around. 

Borgonzi gave us an answer on why the Titans decided to keep him around at Wednesday's press conference. 

It had to do with quarterback Cam Ward and Pollard's value to the offense. 

"Yeah. I mean, Tony's a good player," Borgonzi said. "We'd hate to lose him. But I certainly think that, you know, if you're being honest about it, yes, of course." 

We all knew why the Titans decided to keep Pollard at the deadline. We've seen how much more comfortable Ward is when Pollard and the running game are able to take pressure off him and the offense. 

Ward had the best game of his Titans career so far in Week 8, with Pollard leading the way with another 100-yard performance on the ground. 

Ward finished with 304 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 43-36 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Titans absolutely could've traded Pollard and gotten even more draft capital, but they knew that without him in the backfield, the offense wouldn't be the same. 

This proves that the Titans are still committed to building this franchise back up with Ward at the center. 

They made sure to keep his best running back around to help continue progressing. If the Titans are able to keep running the ball the way they have lately with Pollard, then we could see Ward continue to have performances like he did in Week 8. 

Pollard and the Titans look to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on Sunday after their bye week.