The Titans spent some time talking to running back Chris Johnson’s representatives at the combine, but there’s been no announcement about whether or not they’ll be bringing him and his $8 million salary back for the 2013 season.
The team has made a move to assure the return of one running back, however. They have re-signed Jackie Battle to a one-year deal after a season that saw him run for 142 yards on 36 carries while playing a role on special teams.
“The past three years I didn’t know where I was going to be or if I was going to be somewhere until right before training camp,” Battle said, via the Tennessean. “So it’s great to know early, and I’m glad the Titans thought enough of me to want to bring me back. I’ve always been a core special teams guy in my career, and I’ve been able to step in when a team needed me to play running back. I just want to continue to do what I can to help a team win.”
Bringing Battle back isn’t likely to make Johnson’s departure any more imminent than it was before as Johnson’s salary and not the presence of Battle or Shonn Greene is the reason why the Titans are thinking about moving on. It shores up the depth ahead of whatever else the Titans plan to do in the backfield, a list that many expect to include a parting of the ways with Johnson.