Dion Lewis Cut by Titans After 2 Seasons with Team

The Tennessee Titans officially released running back Dion Lewis on Thursday.

Lewis spent two seasons with the Titans after signing a four-year, $19.8 million contract in 2018. Per Spotrac, cutting Lewis creates $4 million in salary-cap space and leaves the Titans with a $1.125 million dead-cap hit in 2020.

The release of Lewis gives the Titans additional funds to negotiate with keeping free agents Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill.

The 29-year-old enjoyed a career year with the New England Patriots in 2017, rushing for 896 yards and six touchdowns while catching 32 passes for 214 yards and three more scores. The Titans signed him the following March in the hope that he would become the ideal complement to Henry, then heading into his third year after starting only four games in his first two seasons.

Lewis thrived as a pass-catcher in 2018 with a career-high 59 grabs for 400 yards and one touchdown, but he averaged only 3.3 yards per carry and rushed for 517 yards and one score. Henry ran for 1,059 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Last season, Lewis' numbers dipped dramatically even though he appeared in all 16 games for a third straight time. He carried the ball only 54 times for 209 yards and no touchdowns while catching 25 passes for 164 yards and one score.

The Pitt product took a clear backseat to Henry, who led the NFL in carries (303), rushing yards (1,540) and rushing touchdowns (16).

While Lewis' tenure in Tennessee didn't go as well as hoped, the 5'8", 195-pounder could still be a solid fit elsewhere for teams in search of a third-down, pass-catching back.

The Albany, New York, native won a Super Bowl in 2017 with the Pats and has nine games of playoff experience from his three seasons in Foxborough. He has caught at least 30 passes in a season three times, which is a valuable skill in the pass-happy NFL.

Although Lewis averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per carry in each of the past two seasons, he averaged 4.4 or better in each of his first five seasons, including 5.0 in 2017 with the Pats.