There is a slight logjam at the running back position as the Tennessee Titans get ready for training camp at the end of July. The front-runner for the starting spot is second-year back Bishop Sankey. The second-round draftee in 2014 had the honor of being the first running back selected last May. Too bad his play as a rookie never lived up to that lofty accomplishment.

Sankey was thrown into the mix as soon as he stepped on the field last August. It seemed as if the NFL game was a little too fast for the former Washington Huskies standout. When the regular season started, Sankey found himself watching veterans Shonn Greene and Dexter McCluster get more playing time than him. In fact, Sankey only had 10 or more carries in just five games last season.

The numbers Sankey accumulated were paltry compared to some of the other rookie runners in his class. He rushed for 569 yards and only two touchdowns. It is imperative that those totals improve or Tennessee will have no chance to climb the ladder in the AFC South. It will be even more important for Sankey to succeed because the Titans have every intention of starting rookie Marcus Mariota in September. Help from the running game will ease the burden of Mariota having to be fabulous as a freshman.

McCluster returns to the Titans in 2015 to create competition for Sankey, but he is more of a third-down back. A pair of first-year backs may pose the real opposition to Sankey in camp. David Cobb is a fifth-round draft choice out of Minnesota. He was a beast in the Big 10 last fall and could be the type of powerful rusher that Tennessee needs to control the ball on offense. Rookie free agent Antonio Andrews is another interesting back on the roster. With Cobb nursing an injury, Andrews saw the most first team reps in the recently completed OTAs. Although he may be a sleeper to start ahead of Sankey, you cannot discount his output at the OTAs. Greene was subtracted from the equation when the Titans released him after he decided to skip the offseason programs.

Tennessee head coach Ken Whisenhunt did mention this spring that a heavier Sankey may be a more productive Sankey. The ex-Huskie hit the field at the OTAs weighing in at around 210 pounds, but Whisenhunt would like to see his running back’s weight closer to 220. If the bulky Cobb is going to be Bishop’s biggest challenge, then he should really embrace the larger body idea. No matter how big or how fast Sankey is, however, he will never be able to be the Titans’ bell cow if he doesn’t get a chance at more carries.