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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The Tennessee Titans made several moves ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, but also made a significant decision to keep running back Tony Pollard despite his name circulating heavily in rumors.
Pollard, 29, is playing in his third season with the Titans and remains an important part of the team for at least the rest of this season. By keeping Pollard, Tennessee maintains an important part of its offense while continuing to evaluate its quarterback situation.
The team drafted Cam Ward first overall in 2025 with the hopes that he would become the franchise star they needed to lead them. Removing Pollard would effectively make it more difficult to evaluate Ward for the rest of this season.
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Tennessee made this decision despite the possibility that Pollard could leave as an unrestricted free agent after the season. More importantly, keeping Pollard allows Tennessee to evaluate Ward's development through the remainder of its season with an established running back in the offense.
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This season, Ward has thrown for 1,483 yards and six touchdowns, but also five interceptions, and has a 49.0 QBR. The Titans are just 1-7 and last in the AFC South, but their record doesn't necessarily tell the full story of Ward's development during the team's ongoing evaluation.
However, earlier this month, he threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in a 43-36 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Ward had arguably his best performance of the season with a 104.6 passer rating and 80.7 QBR.
Pollard was also a huge part of that game with 21 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns, showing that when the offense runs effectively, it allows for an accurate look at what Ward might bring as their QB1.
Once the season is over, Pollard could walk, or the team can sign him to an extension. In addition, they may draft additional help at the position through the draft. However, he remains integral to the organization's decision-making for the rest of the season.
Keeping Pollard gives Tennessee a better opportunity to evaluate Ward before deciding how to approach its quarterback decision in 2027, whether that means continuing to build around him or exploring other options.
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