Derrick Henry rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency

KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 19: Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) looks carries the ball during the AFC Championship game between the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday January 19, 2020 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) during an NFL game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams on December 29, 2019, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Arizona Cardinals

You might be sensing a trend developing, and that trend is clear when you look at the last few teams on this list. The best fits for Henry are squads that are developing quarterbacks, enabling him to take the pressure off the youngsters to do it all themselves.

Unlike Miami and the Chargers, the Arizona Cardinals already have their franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray, who took home the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Murray flashed big ability for Arizona this season, and he really took off in the second half once he got a competent running back.

Injuries sapped away the productivity of one-time fantasy superstar David Johnson, leading the Cardinals to trade for Kenyan Drake at the deadline. Drake went bananas down the stretch, making it easier for the Cardinals to work off the run and set Murray up for success.

Johnson is expected to be a cap casualty while Drake will test free agency, leaving only Chase Edmunds in the backfield at the moment. The Cardinals will definitely explore re-signing Drake, but they could also afford to go big and upgrade with Derrick Henry.

Adding a big back like Henry would give Kliff Kingsbury a lot of options to implement in his playbook, giving Murray even more creative freedom to work off of play action and RPO’s. Henry would automatically command the respect of opposing defenses, which would make it easier for Murray to have clean reads in the pocket.

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