Dexter McCluster Crucial to Tennessee Titans' 2016 Season

With the arrival of former Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray and former Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry, the Tennessee Titans finally have two potential stars at the running back position.

Both of these players tend to be big, bruising backs who are good for a chunk of yards on each carry rather than bursts of 20 or more yards. Murray and Henry are essentially the same type of running back, meaning that the stereotypical “change of pace” back will have to come from one of the other Titans currently on the roster.

Bishop Sankey has been nothing short of a bust in his time in Nashville, David Cobb has yet to show anything on the field and Antonio Andrews is not the kind of running back who will explode out of the backfield. Therefore, it is more than likely that Dexter McCluster becomes the key cog on long third downs for that seemingly necessary change of pace.

McCluster had a solid 2015 for a backup running back on a struggling team, finishing the season with 247 yards on 55 attempts and one touchdown. More importantly, McCluster finished the 2015 season with 31 receptions for 260 yards, showing that he is more than capable of being an outlet for Marcus Mariota on third downs.

For the Titans to even dream of making it out of the AFC South and into the 2016 NFL Playoffs, McCluster must not only produce like he did last season, but improve drastically as well. Tennessee has the pieces to compete in a weak AFC South, but McCluster’s season could be a major factor in whether the 2016 Titans are successful or whether this team finds themselves at the top of the next NFL draft.