Derrick Henry has notably been the Tennessee Titans' rock in the running game for more than a few seasons now. He's won many awards holding down the role, carrying the Titans' offense at times and securing a national spotlight the Titans haven't had in years.

But for as much good Henry brings while running the football, he still has some flaws that have prevented him from becoming the all-purpose back that most of the all time greats were.

Henry still isn't a decent pass protector, which is why the Titans haven't asked to do much of that during his current run of exceptional form. He's also not the best pass catcher out of the backfield, which is why the Titans often take him out during obvious passing situations on third down.

In the sense of fairness, these two weaknesses aren't ones that can be easily discarded either.

Becoming a better pass protector is the easier one out of the two, since that's a matter of knowledge, repetition, and technique that can be corrected on the practice field. Turning yourself into a better pass catcher is a much different story though.

Repetition will breed better results in most cases, but for the most part, athleticism and other physical attributes scouts love to argue over determine your ability to threaten defenses as a pass catcher out of the backfield.

Henry doesn't have the best short area quickness and his lateral movement while running routes isn't something to write home about either. Based on these facts, odds are Henry wouldn't be the most dangerous option out of the backfield as a pass catcher.

But against the Las Vegas Raiders, Henry was in fact a semi-dangerous pass catching option out of the backfield. Which if you've felt the tone of these words so far, isn't a strength of Henry's whatsoever.

Henry caught five passes for 58 yards, most of those coming from the occasional successful screen pass Todd Downing called in the first half. Henry did add some helpful check-down catches when the offense needed them, but screens were the main reason as to why his receiving yardage total was so abnormally high.

"You just try to take what the defense gives you," Henry said today.

Henry's sudden involvement in the passing game then went on to open up a few doors for the Titans offensively.

The Titans as a whole found more success in the run game as a result, with that success branching back down to Henry's own personal success as well. More success meant more points on the board and less lethargic play that plagued the Titans' offense so often through the first two weeks of the season.

What also arose due to Henry's involvement as a pass catcher, was an added sense of unpredictability within the Titans' offense.

Through the first three weeks of the season, the Titans have been a fairly easy team to figure out. You have the power run game that consists of power concepts and plenty of duo blocking schemes — arguably the Titans' favorite run blocking scheme — to open up the play action pass.

Well, that's been the intention so far.

Instead, the Titans' power run game has been stifled due to opposing defenses stacking the box and showing zero respect to the Titans' passing attack. This has left Henry struggling to hit the big plays we've become so accustomed to seeing from him and has basically handcuffed the Titans' offense as a whole, since Henry's dominance is a big part of their identity offensively.

But you don't need me to tell you that.

What you need — or might not need — me to tell you, is Henry's pass catching and how it forces defenses to unexpectedly account for him when the Titans want to throw the football.

With an extra defender being forced to play honestly against Henry, you roam into the potential scenario of opening up a brand new can of advantageous play-calling possibilities.

However, as great as the potential positives are, another negative can be brought to the table as well.

Since Henry's involvement in the passing game was more basic in nature, some concern arises based on the idea of consistency and just how much this method can stick.

Or in other words, how sustainable can it be moving forward?

As mentioned before, Henry isn't a dynamic pass catcher at the running back position. You can't consistently chart up crazy route concepts for him like you could for a more shiftier player at the same position.

Additionally, he hasn't showcased an ability to consistently chart impactful numbers as a pass catcher from week-to-week so far during his NFL career.

So how can you continue to involve Henry in the passing game, without your methods becoming obvious in nature? You can continue to selectively dial up screen passes, maybe even the check-downs that most of his pass catching success tends to come from.

Other than those solutions though, no other potential scenario comes to mind. Except praying that Henry magically adds a hefty amount of shiftiness and agility during his sleep.

Henry's pass catching ability was a welcomed development for the Titans on Sunday. It gave them the chance to open up doors offensively they haven't been able to approach in some time, which in turn gave them a lot of room to breathe.

But is it something that can be counted upon on a game-to-game basis?

That's the big question though, and it's one that simply can't be answered right now. Unless you're leaning on historical figures, and in that case, the answer would be a hard no.

"I like the ball in my hands, any way I can get it." Henry said.

Featured image via George Walker/The Tennesseean