Titans News: Singleton Arrives in Tennessee With Long-Term Upside, Short-Term Questions
Nicholas Singleton is a Tennessee Titan, but the path to becoming a meaningful contributor in Nashville runs through injury recovery, a crowded backfield, and the patience that comes with being a Day 3 selection.
The Titans selected the Penn State running back in the fifth round with the 165th overall pick, acquired via a trade with the Buffalo Bills. Singleton comes to Nashville with legitimate long-term appeal: he is the Nittany Lions’ all-time leader in touchdowns with 55, 45 rushing, 9 receiving, and 1 kick return — across 53 career games, surpassing even Saquon Barkley’s program records. He posted 1,474 scrimmage yards on 213 touches in 2024 and checked every box as a projected Day 2 selection heading into his senior season.
Then 2025 happened, and then the Senior Bowl made it worse. Singleton’s final college season was hampered by undisclosed nagging injuries throughout, and his production dipped sharply to 768 scrimmage yards on 147 touches in 12 games. He scored 14 touchdowns, maintaining his finish-in-the-end-zone ability even when the yardage wasn’t there. Then, during Senior Bowl preparations in January, he suffered a Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his foot and underwent surgery. He was unable to participate in on-field drills at the Combine. He was medically cleared in April, but the combination of the down senior season and the foot surgery erased his Day 2 grade entirely.
The 22-year-old arrives in Tennessee as the fourth or fifth back on a roster that includes veterans Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, third-year back Kalel Mullings, and free agent addition Michael Carter. Playing time in 2026 will be difficult to come by. However, the contract calendar works in Singleton’s favor. Both Pollard and Spears are in the final years of their deals. Pollard’s three-year, $21 million contract expires after this season, and Spears’ four-year rookie deal also runs out in 2026. If Singleton can establish himself in the receiving game and on special teams, areas where his tools are genuinely NFL-ready, he has a clear path to a meaningful role by 2027.
Head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll run a system that has historically valued receiving backs, and Singleton’s 102 career receptions at Penn State are evidence he can contribute in that dimension from day one. The foot is the only remaining variable. If it heals cleanly and he enters training camp at full strength, the Titans have a potential long-term asset at a bargain price.