Lane Mills· Aug 20, 2026
Mills suggests that if Tyjae Spears stays healthy, this could be the season he eases into the Titans' RB1 role, with rookie Nick Singleton settling in as the third running back behind him.
“If he can stay on the field, however, this may be the year that he's got a real chance to ease into RB1 duties in the backfield.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
2 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.
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Who this take is about
2 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Depth Chart CallsTyjae SpearsTennessee TitansAug 20, 2026
Tyjae Spears to be 1st on the depth chart
“If he can stay on the field, however, this may be the year that he's got a real chance to ease into RB1 duties in the backfield.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Nicholas Singleton to be 3rd on the depth chart
“Rookie Nick Singleton would appear to be the third most relevant name on the depth chart, but the bulk of his game this season will be spelling Spears”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Colin CowherdMock Draft Picks · Cam WardHit · 100Cowherd delivered his own top-15 draft board — what he would do as GM of each team — pairing prospects with picks 1 through 15, and separately argued Shedeur Sanders is a far better prospect than Daniel Jones and that Aaron Rodgers should retire.
- Cody KesslerMock Draft Picks · Cam WardHit · 100Kessler disagreed that the Titans can skip a quarterback, predicting Tennessee takes Cam Ward with the first overall pick, and said Ward will be the first quarterback drafted in this class.
- Daniel JeremiahMock Draft Picks · Abdul CarterHit · 92In his latest mock draft, Jeremiah has the Titans staying at No. 1 and selecting Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter first overall.
- Eric CohenGame Outcome Picks · Tennessee TitansMiss · 0Cohen says the Bears win easily in Carolina, and that Tennessee starts 1-0 over a Jets team he considers the third-worst in the league.
- Kirk HerbstreitGame Outcome Picks · Tennessee TitansMiss · 0Herbstreit made a full slate of Week 1 picks — Lions, Ravens, Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Packers and Cowboys — and also said he still thinks Seattle is the team to beat in the NFC West.
- AJ HawkGame Outcome Picks · Tennessee TitansMiss · 0AJ Hawk picked the Ravens over the Colts, Carolina to beat Chicago outright, the Bills at Houston, the Bengals over Tampa Bay, the Titans over the Jets, the Raiders over Miami, the Packers at Minnesota and the Cowboys over the Giants.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Bill HuberDepth Chart Calls · Chris McClellanMiss · 0Huber's first Packers rookie progress report projects second-round cornerback Brandon Cisse to hold onto his spot with the No. 1 defense, third-round defensive tackle Chris McClellan to start in Week 1, and fifth-round lineman Jager Burton to be the team's top interior backup rather than a starter.
- Tyler SullivanDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100An unsigned CBS Sports preseason review grading all 32 teams, which along the way stakes out a number of depth-chart calls for Week 1 and beyond — including Deshaun Watson opening as Cleveland's starter, Fernando Mendoza taking over as Las Vegas' QB1 by season's end, and Minnesota's Murray-Wentz-McCarthy quarterback order.
- Ryan WilsonDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100A CBS Sports piece states Deshaun Watson has won Cleveland's starting quarterback job for Week 1 with Shedeur Sanders next in line, while arguing Watson will not play like even an average NFL quarterback and that none of the Browns' current young passers should stop them from drafting a first-round quarterback next April.
- Rafael ZamoranoDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100Zamorano argues the Browns do not have a franchise quarterback and that it's unlikely Watson or Sanders is their long-term answer.
- John BreechDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100The unsigned newsletter author says Deshaun Watson will start Week 1 at Jacksonville, notes he voted for Jaxson Dart as his breakout QB rather than Caleb Williams, and says newly signed Daniel Carlson is the favorite to win the Saints' kicking job.
- Mark ChichesterDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100Unsigned PFF piece reporting/asserting that Deshaun Watson will be Cleveland's Week 1 starting quarterback against Jacksonville, with Shedeur Sanders behind him on the depth chart.