Derrick Henry reveals when he got emotional about no longer being on Titans

For the first time in what will be nine NFL seasons after Thursday night's 2024 season opener, running back Derrick Henry will suit up for a team that's not the Tennessee Titans.

The behemoth of the backfield signed a free agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason after eight seasons in Nashville, forming a frightening (at least for opposing defenses) tandem with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. But even with the endless and perhaps Lombardi-minded possibilities of what Henry could accomplish with the Ravens, it'd be impossible not to miss his home of nearly a decade, right?

Henry recently spoke with Sterling Holmes of Stacking the Box and revealed the moment in the preseason when it really hit the running back how much things had changed and got him a bit emotional.

Derrick Henry opens up on preseason moment that made him emotional over Titans exit

Ahead of the Titans preseason finale in late August, a video went viral on X/Twitter of Tennessee star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons performing his longtime pregame ritual in the tunnel ostensibly with the ghost of Henry, who he previously walked out with. And when asked about that by Holmes, Henry admitted it hit him in the feels a bit:

"There eight years, I'll always have love for the organization and everybody in that organization because a lot has happened through those eight years and me growing as a person and a player. And we'll always be thankful for that organization, the city of Nashville and that whole community.

"I was doing good and been having fun here [in Baltimore] and hadn't really thought about it much when I saw that video, I was like 'Dang, man, I miss my guy, my boy Jeffery [Simmons]'. We always come out of the locker room, the last ones, before pregame -- but that's still my brother and we still talk to this day."

How could Henry not get emotional in that moment? The fact that he and Simmons are now-former teammates clearly hasn't ended their brotherhood, their friendship. So seeing the defensive lineman clearly feeling the absence of the star running back would get anyone a bit emotional and perhaps nostalgic.

Having said that, though, Henry still feels excited about his new opportunity and next chapter with the Ravens. And given what a backfield featuring him and Jackson could look like and the havoc they could wreak on the rest of the NFL, we can't blame him for feeling that way either.

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