24-year old RB Chris Johnson had a season for the ages in 2009.  Forget about Vince Young being the reason for the second half success of the Titans as Johnson was the man that propelled the team.  Johnson played in 16 games (all starts) last season in which he carried the ball 358 times for 2,006 yards (5.6 ypc) with 14 TD runs.  He led the NFL in both carries and rushing yards last season.  Johnson also caught 50 passes for 503 yards (10.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs last year.  Johnson has now played in 31 games (30 starts) in his two years with the Titans and he has carried the ball 609 times for 3,234 yards (5.3 ypc) with 23 TD runs.  He also has caught 93 passes for 763 yards (8.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.  The Titans would really benefit if one of their backup RBs could take a few touches away from Johnson in 2010 to save some wear and tear on him.  But make no mistake Johnson will be the focal point of the offense again in 2010 as he can take any touch to the house because of his blinding speed.

23-year old Javon Ringer will head into training camp as the Titans’ #2 RB.  Ringer played in 7 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Titans last season in which he carried the ball 8 times for 48 yards (6.0 ypc).  He also returned 9 kickoffs for 181 yards (20.1 avg) last season.  Ringer is the same type of runner as Johnson as he relies more on speed than power.

27-year old Alvin Pearman didn’t carry the ball or catch a pass last season for the Titans.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Titans last season and he returned 11 punts for 102 yards (10.2 avg).  Pearman also returned 8 punts for 174 yards (21.8 avg) for the Titans last year.  Pearman has now played in 5 seasons in the NFL appearing in 38 games in which he has carried the ball 58 times for 238 yards (4.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Pearman has also caught 36 passes for 276 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab in his career.  Pearman has also returned 92 punts for 805 yards (8.8 avg) and he has returned 22 kickoffs for 488 yards (22.2 avg) in his career.

Undrafted free agent RBs LaGarrette Blount and Stafon Johnson will vie for a roster spot in training camp.  Blount is famous for slugging a Boise State player after a loss earning him a long suspension.  Stafon Johnson was famous for hurting his neck in a bench pressing accident at USC.  Blount and Johnson are both good football players so I wouldn’t be shocked if one or both of them made the Titans this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE TITANS RBs in 2010:  A