The era of Derrick Henry playing for the Tennessee Titans is probably finished. But fear not, Titans fans, as they’ve found someone new to take his place: Tony Pollard, a former player for the Dallas Cowboys. According to NFL insider Josina Anderson from CBS Sports HQ, Pollard is set to sign a contract with the Titans for three years, worth $24 million.
New Deal for Tony Pollard
Pollard had been playing for the Cowboys under a franchise tag last season, which meant he earned about $10.1 million. With this new contract, he’s taking a bit of a pay cut each year, but he’ll likely get more money guaranteed. When it comes to running backs in the NFL, only a few have contracts with higher yearly averages, like Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, and Aaron Jones. D’Andre Swift, who signed with the Bears, has a deal that matches Pollard’s new contract.
Pollard’s Background and Performance
Before joining the Titans, Pollard spent four years as the backup to Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas. Despite being a backup, he showed he’s a talented runner and receiver. In 2023, when he finally got to be the main running back, he had a bit of a tough start due to recovering from a fractured leg he got in 2022. But he improved as the season went on, although his performance per touch wasn’t as good as before.
Comparison with Derrick Henry
Pollard is quite different from Henry in terms of size. While Henry is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 247 pounds, Pollard is shorter at 6 feet and weighs 209 pounds. He’s also better at catching passes, with at least 37 receptions in each of the last three seasons, including 51 last year. It’s likely that he’ll be playing alongside Tyjae Spears, a third-round pick from 2023, in the Titans’ new-look backfield.