The Tennessee Titans got some bad news amid the NFL preseason debut of quarterback Cam Ward, with running back Tyjae Spears reportedly suffering a concerning lower-body injury in the first half of Saturday night's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Titans RB Tyjae Spears was carted to the locker room night due to an apparent lower leg injury,” wrote Adam Schefter of ESPN in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Before he left the game, Spears had a negative one-yard output on three carries, as the Titans ended the first half trailing the Buccaneers by six points, 13-7.
Although the full extent of Spears' injury has yet to be disclosed, it's certainly concerning for Tennessee, especially given his struggles to stay healthy in 2024. Last season, the former Tulane Green Wave football star appeared in only 12 games, including a start, and rushed for 312 yards and four touchdowns on 84 carries. He dealt with a hamstring issue and concussions, greatly limiting his potential to produce bigger numbers on the field for a Titans team that won three games.
Spears is entering his third season in the NFL. He was taken in the third round (81st overall) by the Titans at the 2023 NFL draft. Playing behind Derrick Henry in 2023 as a rookie, Spears still managed to burn rubber for 453 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 100 carries through 17 games (one start) in his first year in the league. Henry left the Titans in the 2024 offseason, but the Titans also signed Tony Pollard, leaving Spears still with a backup Titans RB role.
The hope for the Titans is that Spears did not suffer anything significant enough to keep him sidelined for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
The Titans will have two more NFL preseason games left to play after their date with the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Tennessee will take on the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in Week 2 before closing out its preseason campaign in Week 3 on Aug. 23 with a home game versus the Minnesota Vikings at Nissan Stadium in Tennessee.
