D'Onta Foreman vs. Jeremy McNichols vs. Dontrell Hilliard: Making Sense of Titans Backfield Split

The Tennessee Titans went from having one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL to one of the worst in an instant. After the loss of Derrick Henry, who broke his foot in Week 8, the Titans have been scrambling to replace the most dominant rusher in the league. So far, the search has not been going well. The team isn’t short of names on the depth chart, but they are short on explosive talent. 

As it stands, D’Onta Foreman is listed as the starter with Dontrell Hilliard and Jeremy McNichols as the second and third strings respectively. Foreman was the go-to guy when Henry first went down and has managed 55 rushes for 240 yards and a touchdown. 109 of those yards came in one game against the Patriots at the end of November.

Some might remember Foreman from his time on the Houston Texans in 2017 and 2018. He ultimately tore his Achilles tendon and was never really the same player. Since being signed in 2020, he has been reduced to seeing a few touches here and there behind Henry. I won’t say that Foreman looks like the guy he did before his injury, but he is at least contributing positive results to this team. 

Hilliard is also looking to turn his career back around after playing for the Browns but barely seeing any action in 30 games in Cleveland. He saw just 21 carries in those games and was eventually released.

Now with the Titans, Hilliard didn’t see any work until Week 11 where he ran for 35 yards off seven carries. His next game out, however, was a real eye-opener. Hilliard went off on the Patriots two weeks ago with 131 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Much of that came off a 68-yard TD run. Hilliard is also a weapon in the passing game and has nine catches on 12 targets for 49 yards. His averages are better than Foreman but Hilliard has seen limited action since returning to the field with just 25 rushing attempts. 

In a strange turn, it was McNichols who led the group in snaps last week against the Jaguars with 38 percent compared to 34 for Hilliard and 32 for Foreman. McNichols was able to take his eight attempts for just 16 yards. Worth noting that all of his touches came in the fourth quarter of a shutout win. Foreman was the featured back with 13 rushes for 47 yards and a touchdown while Hilliard had just 13 yards on six carries. 

While it is hard to know what to make of this group, it’s clear that the Titans want Foreman to be the leader with Hilliard serving as a change of pace back. Luckily for the Titans, the problem might just work itself out if Derrick Henry has anything to say about it. Word on the street is that Henry is aiming for a Week 18 return to the lineup after undergoing surgery on Nov. 1.