NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Dion Lewis is fast, and he's shifty.

And the new Titans running back put his skill set on display in the team's preseason game on Saturday night against the Buccaneers when he got the ball in his hands in the open field.

Up until then, Lewis hadn't really been able to show what the team signed him to do.

"It's really the first time trying to get tackled since I've been here," Lewis said. "I am more of reaction and instinctive runner. So in practice I make people miss, but you can't really see what I can fully do without people trying to tackle me. So it is great to be back out, making people miss, and seeing what I can do.

"It just felt good to go out there and compete and have fun, and just get back to playing football."

Lewis played just five snaps in the preseason opener against the Packers, and he carried the ball twice for eight yards.

Against the Buccaneers he played eight snaps, but was able to do more work in space.

Lewis caught two passes, and he scooted for 26 yards, including a 16-yard burst when he made multiple defenders miss. He also carried the ball once.

"Honestly, he makes it real easy for us as quarterbacks," Marcus Mariota said of Lewis. "His body language, the way he comes out of his routes, you see where he's going, what he's seeing."

Coach Mike Vrabel said Lewis has been "really working himself into game shape."

"I think that his legs look like they're coming back to him a little bit - his quickness and his cuts," Vrabel said.

This weekend, Lewis heads back to Pittsburgh, where he starred in college. The Titans face the Steelers in preseason game No.3 on Saturday.

Lewis racked up 2,860 yards at the University of Pittsburgh, before heading to the NFL. After spending time with the Eagles, Browns and Colts, Lewis landed with the Patriots, and his NFL career took off.

Lewis led the Patriots with 896 rushing yards with six touchdowns last season, while also playing a big role catching passes and returning kicks. The Titans signed him this March, and he'll provide a one-two punch with running back Derrick Henry.

"It has been great, getting used to the city and my teammates," Lewis said. "It has been a great experience so far."

At this point, there's perhaps only one thing that could maybe slow him down.

With a smile, Lewis admitted he's enjoying the food in Nashville, from the hot chicken to the barbeque and more.

"The chicken is really hot," Lewis said with a smile. "I don't like it too spicy. I have to adjust to the food here, because I know that the chicken is going to be hot. I have to get it a couple of notches down.

"The food, it's really good. You can get fat. I have to make sure I don't get fat out here."