Tennessee Titans – Derrick Henry
With all the devaluing of running backs lately, it’s muddying the waters of the great running backs of this era. While Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott look for new homes late into the offseason, Derrick Henry is going into year eight with the Tennessee Titans.
In the first seven years, Henry rushed for 8,335 yards. He’s led the league in rushing twice, including 2,027 yards in 2020. He is one of six players ever to rush for north of 2,000 yards in one season. Henry is in the same breath as Adrian Peterson as the best runners of this generation.
Henry is a three-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro, and an Offensive Player of the Year winner. Henry is as decorated as any in his position. At 29 years old, he might be closer to the end than the beginning, but he led the league in carries last season. He will get more work as time progresses.
With so many holdouts and stars left without a new home, we’re not sure if that ends up impacting Henry. He might only have a year or two left before he hangs them up. If he plays as long as Peterson, then he could get very high on the all-time rushing list. He would need 10,000 yards to beat Emmitt Smith, so that’s out of the question. Could he get 4,000 yards to get himself past Tony Dorsett into the top ten? That seems much more feasible, and it would lead to a Hall of Fame induction.