NASHVILLE — An NFL debut is the culmination of years of dedication and hard work for every football player. It is a dream come true for every rookie, and you only get one chance to really make it special. 

But for Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears, taking the field on Sunday will be even more momentous. 

With the Titans taking on the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 at the Caesers Superdome, Sunday is both a homecoming and a debut for Spears.

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New Orleans football is all Tyjae Spears has ever known. He played his high school football for the Ponchatoula HS Green Wave, a school located just 50 miles out from the Superdome. 

As a three-star recruit, Spears decided to stay home in the New Orleans area for college, attending Tulane from 2019-2022.

After steadily improving every year at Tulane under head coach Willie Fritz, Spears capped off his collegiate career with an unbelievable senior season. Spears tallied 1,581 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns in 2022. That landed him on draft boards across the NFL, with Spears ultimately being selected by the Titans with the 81st overall pick in the draft.

"It's a cool experience that I get to play [in New Orleans]. I've played all my levels of football in Louisiana," said Spears. "I get to start it off in Louisiana, so that's a cool experience."

While Spears got his first taste of the NFL and played 42 offensive snaps in the preseason, there's nothing that can measure up to the real deal in Week 1.

"You really just take it one day at a time and every day you try to get better. Preseason…it helped, but it's not gonna be like the real thing," Spears told me on Friday. 

Even with it being his first regular season NFL game, I'd still expect Spears to be heavily-involved with the Titans' offense against the Saints. Tennessee's new offensive scheme under offensive coordinator Tim Kelly is all about playing "physical, fast, and energetic." That's Spears' game in a nutshell. 

Spears is the perfect compliment to Derrick Henry and Tennessee is going to find a way to use him. That could be blocking on third down, catching a pass, or even running the ball outside the tackles. Spears might even be in the backfield at the same time as Henry on occasion.

Tennessee's explosive rookie running back will be someone to keep an eye on against the Saints in his storybook debut. 

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