Spears will have a lot of successful seasons if half or most of his touches comes from out in space like tonight. He’s had a double digit carry game just once this season. Only 3 games of more than 5 carries.
With AK being the every down satellite back for the forseeable future, Saints were looking for a versatile, complementary ground and pound back to succeed Williams in a year or two. Miller’s availability isn’t looking good for that role long term.
Spears wouldn’t have been a good fit either because of coaching. His usage would’ve been mad inconsistent here. The way run blocking looked earlier in the season would’ve probably had Spears dealing with injuries too if he was asked to carry the ball inside at any point. AK isn’t coming off the field on passing downs enough for Spears to make the same plays he’s doing often with the Titans.
He’s in a better situation for playing time there in a RB friendly offense. They’ll still need to find a new early down back to replace Henry so Spears can thrive without a lot of mileage during his rookie deal.