The biggest surprise from Titans' first unofficial depth chart of 2025 NFL season
The Tennessee Titans released their initial 2025 unofficial depth chart one week ahead of their first preseason game. While most of the listings were expected, the Titans' raised some eyebrows with their placement of running backs Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears and Kalel Mullings.
The backfield did not change much over the offseason, with Mullings joining the group in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Pollard, who led the team with 1,079 rushing yards in 2024, unsurprisingly returned as the starter, with Spears expected to be a 1B to his 1A. The two began the 2024 season as co-starters on the depth chart, but Pollard separated himself in his first year with the team.
Despite Pollard's emergence, head coach Brian Callahan teased the same idea he composed in 2024. Callahan said that he views Pollard and Spears on a similar plane, suggesting the two would be listed as co-starters on the depth chart again.
The overall numbers might suggest that those are simply empty words, but there was some credence to that claim late in the year. Pollard dominated the backfield for most of the season, but Spears closed the gap down the stretch.
Once Spears returned from a hamstring injury in Week 9, the backfield became a near-even split for the rest of the season. Spears played over 40 percent of the offensive snaps in five of his final seven games, including two games — Weeks 14 and 15 — during which he spent more time on the field than Pollard.
Everything about Tennessee's running back room suggested that Spears caught up to Pollard, and Callahan finally had the two-headed backfield that he has been proposing for over a year. Yet, that is not what the Titans' first unofficial 2025 depth chart depicted.
Titans surprisingly list Tyjae Spears on par with Kalel Mullings
The Titans listing Tony Pollard as their starting running back on their first 2025 depth chart shocked no one. However, whether fans expected to see Tyjae Spears as a co-RB1 or not, nobody predicted that he would be listed on even ground as rookie Kalel Mullings. Spears and Mullings were both listed as second-stringers, with Julius Chestnut, Jordan Mims and Jermar Jefferson all on the third team.
Entering the draft off a fantastic end to his college career at Michigan, Mullings was an excellent value pick for Tennessee. His bulky frame as a former linebacker immediately made him the frontrunner to be the Titans' short-yardage back in 2025, a role they did not have filled in 2024. Most fans still expected Mullings to begin his career competing with Chestnut for the third-string role, and not on par with either Pollard or Spears.
The Titans' 2024 backfield was very much a two-man crew. Pollard accounted for 58 percent of the team's total rushing production, but Spears' strong end to the season set the table for what should be an intriguing tandem in 2025. Pollard and Spears were supposed to be on a tier of their own to begin the year, with either Chestnut or Mullings as a distant third-stringer.
Mullings certainly provides an element that neither Pollard nor Spears can match. He comes from an esteemed running back-centric offense at Michigan, where he accrued 948 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry in 2024. He did not have the vision, speed or acceleration to become an elite prospect, but many predict that he will carve out a respectable career in the NFL. Few just saw it happening so quickly, particularly on a team like the Titans, who already seemed to have their backfield set in stone.
Kalel Mullings continues to impress Titans' coaching staff
As good of an offseason as he is having, Kalel Mullings is still presumably a step behind Tyjae Spears. The two are listed together on the Titans' 2025 unofficial depth chart, but the latter is much closer to Pollard than the rookie is.
Regardless, Mullings continues to impress Tennessee from the moment he joined the team in April. Running backs coach Randy Jordan gushes over the potential he sees in Mullings, stemming from his maturity and mindset.
'One of the things I had to get used to is the fact that he sees it through a different lens,' Jordan said, via AtoZ Sports' JT Ruhnke. 'He played linebacker for all those years. So he can tell you, 'Hey coach, the mike linebacker ain't fitting right.' That helps in the sense of protection, knowing where the ball's supposed to fit, where the defense is going to [line up].'
The depth chart is certainly interesting, but Callahan will not truly reveal his hand until Week 1. The more the Titans can get from their running backs, the easier life will be for rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Perhaps Spears separates himself from Mullings over the preseason, but it was nonetheless a surprise to see the two in the same position on Tennessee's inaugural 2025 depth chart.
Related: 2 Titans first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs ahead of 2025 NFL season
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