Fantasy Alert: Titans OC Sees Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears as '1A, 1B' after Henry Exit

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz suggested Wednesday that he envisions running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears playing equally big roles in his offense in 2024.

According to NFL.com's Kevin Patra, Holz declined to name an RB1, instead saying: "We see it 1A, 1B, and they're both just gonna play a ton, get a lot of carries and let 'em roll."

Holz went on to further explain his stance, noting that he wants to keep opposing defenses guessing with the way he deploys the running backs:

"Everyone keeps saying interchangeable, and we see it that way. We don't want any tendencies when those guys are in there. So, we think they both can have a skill set as pass-catchers, skill set running the gap schemes and all the different zone schemes we are going to have. So, that's where it is really most exciting as we go, you are not going to say, 'When this back is in these are the plays, and when this back is in those are the plays.' They can really function on all three downs, and really, there are not any scheme limitations."

Potential future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry left Tennessee in free agency and signed with the Baltimore Ravens, which could have potentially opened the door for Spears to become the unquestioned starter.

As a complement to Henry during his rookie campaign in 2023, Spears was highly productive, rushing for 453 yards and two touchdowns on 100 carries, while also catching 52 passes for 385 yards and one score.

The 2023 third-round pick out of Tulane looked like the heir apparent to Henry, but the Titans decided to dip into the running back market in free agency by signing Pollard to a three-year, $21 million deal.

Pollard spent his first five NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, and he topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark in each of the past two seasons.

In 2022, Pollard split carries with Ezekiel Elliott, but he was clearly the more explosive player, rushing for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns on 193 carries (5.2 yards per carry), while also catching 39 passes for 371 yards and three scores.

Pollard was named to the Pro Bowl that year, and the Cowboys decided to move on from Zeke and make Pollard the starter, but it didn't yield the type of results they hoped.

While Pollard rushed for 1,005 yards last season, his touchdown total dropped to six, and he averaged a career-worst 4.0 yards per carry. Also, despite setting a career-high with 55 receptions, his 311 receiving yards were fewer than he had in both 2021 and 2022.

The Cowboys were unwilling to invest long-term money in Pollard after that, but the Titans jumped at the chance to sign him early in free agency.

In Pollard and Spears, Tennessee has two running backs who have shown that they can be highly effective and efficient while sharing the workload.

That could be a good thing for the Titans' offense, and it will make both Pollard and Spears relevant in fantasy football, but it is unlikely that either of them will be anything more than an RB2 of FLEX barring injury.