Tony Pollard trade buzz returns for Titans at NFL deadline, but one big reason makes it hard to see GM Mike Borgonzi selling
Every fall, Tony Pollard’s name lands on the trade block. Every fall, the deadline comes and goes quietly. With contenders hunting for a running back this year, here’s what would have to change.
We do this every year with Tony Pollard.
The NFL trade deadline rolls around, the Tennessee Titans are sellers, and their bell cow running back becomes one of the most popular names in trade speculation. On paper, it makes sense. Tennessee has been the worst team in the league for the past four years and counting, and Pollard is one of the only consistently good players (and therefore one of the only truly valuable ones) on this roster.
Other Titans have been dealt before the deadline the past couple of seasons. Pollard hasn’t. You hear his name in the local news and in the national news. Then we get to the other side of the deadline, and he’s still a Titan. When I go digging behind the scenes for any actual offers the team considered for him, I hear of none. I don’t think teams are sending concrete offers for Pollard. If they are, those offers have clearly been unserious so far.
Why the Pollard trade buzz is kicking up again
This year, the chatter is back once again. A handful of contending teams could use a running back, and anecdotally, it does feel like this could be the year the Titans move him. The now 29-year-old Pollard is in the final year of his contract in Tennessee, and the Titans could get a little something for him before he walks in free agency.
That logic is easy to follow. But it’s more complicated for the Titans than simply selling a marginally valuable piece because they’re sellers at the deadline. That’s why I remain highly skeptical that Pollard gets dealt during yet another Pollard-heavy trade deadline buzz cycle.
The Titans’ running back room can’t function without him
At least, we’ve been given no tangible reason to believe that it can.
If you’re watching the Titans right now, you know this offense needs all the help it can get. That goes double for QB Cam Ward. He still needs serious support to take the steps forward we’re waiting to see him take. This group doesn’t seem capable of operating smoothly without Pollard’s consistent, reliable, healthy bell cow work.
Look at what’s behind him. Tyjae Spears is hurt once again, and between his health history and his style, he isn’t somebody you want pounding the rock between the tackles over and over. Kalel Mullings isn’t inspiring anybody as a potential replacement. Rookie Nick Singleton has been a healthy scratch the past couple of weeks because the coaching staff is still working to get him up to speed, especially as a blocker. Michael Carter was active last week and got some run, but he rushed for 7 yards on 3 attempts in the game.
Without Pollard, Tennessee’s running back room becomes a whole lot less reliable and a lot less effective. That’s my opinion, but I think the Titans feel the same way. This season is still all about Ward, his development, and giving the offense a chance to find a rhythm it hasn’t found yet.
What would it take for Mike Borgonzi to pull the trigger?
Unless a buying team finally comes correct, with a meaningful offer for seemingly the first time since Pollard arrived in Tennessee, why would general manager Mike Borgonzi make the move now when he hasn’t in the past? The price has to be worth enduring the back half of a season without a reliable running game.
I understand it’s a get-something-now-or-never situation with Pollard headed for free agency. But a fifth- or sixth-round pick feels like the absolute most a team would offer. Is that worth handicapping your offense for the rest of the season, and potentially handicapping what this year means for the Cam Ward experience? I just can’t sit here and tell you I believe it is.
Maybe a team shocks us and comes calling with a third- or fourth-round pick. Even with his explosive ability, that would surprise me given his age and the fact that his contract offers has no control over him beyond this season. That’s really the only outlier scenario where I see this trade happening.
The Titans could decide it’s time to rip the Band-Aid off and let one of the younger backs try to carry the load. That would surprise me too, given everything they’re trying to build around Ward and how thin the room behind Pollard looks with Spears dealing with an injury.
So you’re going to keep hearing his name. But my gut tells me that this will be another Groundhog Day for the Pollard trade deadline discussion. He’ll be a talking point, and then we’ll reach the deadline, and he’ll still be a Titan on the other side.
