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When the Tennessee Titans drafted Tulane product and running back Tyjae Spears in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, the move was mostly met with bewilderment, as the team decided to select a player at a position that wasn’t exactly needed, and especially not more than wide receiver.
But what’s past is past and Spears is now looking to carve out a role for himself in Year 1.
So far, so good for the rookie, who has been impressing beat writers on the ground during practices this offseason. Here’s what Jim Wyatt of Titans Online wrote about the rookie after mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
Another practice meant another day of standing out for Spears, who is regularly one of the most active – and noticeable – players.
Spears also caught the attention of Paul Kuharsky, who pointed out that Spears stayed after practice to catch 100-plus balls, something he does regularly.
Roughly 20 minutes after the first practice of Titans’ minicamp finished, when several players had talked with media coming off the field and Derrick Henry’s more formal session at the podium was already underway, Tyjae Spears was still catching machine-thrown passes.
…
Spears said he catches balls after practice until he gets tired. Tuesday that was 100-plus.
.@tyjae22 was the last player on the field for the #Titans after the first practice of minicamp. pic.twitter.com/kam9YaaTib
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) June 6, 2023
But Spears isn’t just receiving praise from beat writers. Two new Titans, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, are impressed with the 21-year-old’s versatility, moves and route-running.
“Having running backs that are versatile enough to run different routes and do different things, it just makes things so much harder on the defense,” SMB said, per Kuharsky.
“(Spears) is very versatile, very skillful, very quick with a nice juke in him, a nice little step. I mess around with him a lot when I am chasing him down on those runs he has and he always hits me with a cutback. I think he’s very dynamic with what he does running the ball and receiving it.”
“I think he’s a really good route-runner, it’s part of why we (brought) him in here,” Al-Shaair explained. “And we’ve been going at it. I’ve been messing with him since the first day that we’ve been going against each other. I think he’s going to be a real good player.”
With there being scraps behind Henry in terms of carries, Spears’ best chance at action in his first season will come as a pass-catcher and on third downs, where the Titans need a replacement for Dontrell Hilliard, and weapons overall after failing to adequately address the wide receiver position.
Spears gives the Titans options thanks to his ability to impact the game from anywhere on the field. Whatever the case may be, at the very least Spears appears to be on the right track to garnering a role for himself in 2023.