FILE – Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, 20, carries the ball during an NFL wild card playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs are all on the NFL open market. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans will replace four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry with Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys. Tennessee general manager Ran Carson began the rebuild on Monday, the first day of the NFL’s negotiating period. People familiar with the deal spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because free agents cannot be officially signed until Wednesday, when the new league season begins. The first big move was replacing Henry with Pollard. He and the Titans have agreed to a three-year deal worth $24 million, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The Titans also worked to strengthen their secondary and the midfield of their offense. Cincinnati cornerback Chidobe Awuzie has agreed to a three-year, $36 million contract with $23 million guaranteed, another person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. Denver center Lloyd Cushenberry has agreed to a four-year, $50 million contract with $26 million guaranteed, a second person familiar with the deal confirmed to The Associated Press. The Titans drafted running back Tyjay Spears last season, and he was Henry’s backup. The eight-year veteran, who turned 30 in January, is poised to become a free agent for the first time in his career on Wednesday.
Pollard, 26, was selected by Dallas in the fourth round out of Memphis in 2019. He had two consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Cowboys and used Pollard’s franchise tag for the 2023 season. The Cowboys declined to sign Pollard for the second straight season. He ran for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns in 2023, setting a career high with 55 receptions for 311 yards. Pollard has 3,621 rushing yards on 762 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per rush. He also had 176 receptions, 1,319 yards and five touchdowns.
Henry led the NFL in carries with 280 and trailed only the San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey in yards rushing in 2023. He’s one of only eight players to run for at least 2,000 yards in a season and is tied for 13th in NFL history with 90 rushing touchdowns. He leaves short of Eddie George’s franchise rushing mark of 10,009 yards. Awuzie will reunite with new Titans Coach Brian Callahan after spending the past three seasons in Cincinnati when Callahan was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator. Awuzie, who began his NFL career in Dallas as the 60th pick overall out of Colorado in 2017, has started 74 of 86 games. He has six career interceptions, four forced fumbles, and two recovered fumbles. At 6-4, 315 pounds, Cushenberry will be a significant size up over undrafted free agent Aaron Brewer. He was one of only three Titans to start every game in 2023. Cushenberry was a third-round pick out of LSU in 2020 and started all 57 games he played in Denver.
