Prominent NFL Expert predicts the end of the Derrick Henry era for the Titans
All good things come to an end. That's especially true in the National Football League. For the Tennessee Titans and the Titans' fanbase, that can be a difficult thing to imagine. For the last seven years, football in Tennessee has been defined in two words: Derrick Henry. The man they call "King Henry" is both the […]
All good things come to an end. That's especially true in the National Football League. For the Tennessee Titans and the Titans' fanbase, that can be a difficult thing to imagine.
For the last seven years, football in Tennessee has been defined in two words: Derrick Henry. The man they call "King Henry" is both the face of the franchise and the bell cow of the Titans' run first offense.
With over 8,000 rushing yards and 78 rushing touchdowns in the tow-tone blue, Henry is a lock for the Titans' Ring of Honor and likely the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But now approaching 30 years old and the final year of his contract, life after Derrick Henry is approaching sooner than most fans are ready for.
NFL analyst Greg Cosell has been around the league for decades, and over time, has gotten an excellent sense of the tape and how the teams around the NFL operate.
In a recent interview with Brent Dougherty and Ron Slay of 3HL on 104.5 The Zone, Cosell spoke about the Titans' selecting Tulane running back Tyjae Spears in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While Cosell specified that he is not directly plugged into the Titans' front office, context clues lead him to believe that 2023 will be the last season of Derrick Henry in Tennessee.
"To me, this will be the last year for Derrick Henry in Tennessee," said Cosell. "He's been unbelievable, no question about it. Clearly a phenomenal back, but he's not going to get re-signed given his age and the wear and tear."
Henry has more career rushing attempts than any other active NFL player currently on a roster. With 1,750 all-time carries entering his eighth career season, concerns about the tread on Henry's tires is no shock.
Adrian Peterson is the only running back since 2018 to have a 1,000 yard season with over 2,000 career attempts. Henry is now approaching that milestone, and adding Spears into the mix gives Tennessee a younger running back with a skillset to play in both run and passing schemes. It's possible that the Titans could be pushing to innovate their offensive approach.
"Spears is a different kind of back and my sense is that's the way they want to move anyways. They want a primary back as opposed to a foundation back," said Cosell on 3HL. "They don't want the offense to have to run through the back. If a given game dictates that, fine. Some games might dictate that, but they don't want it to be the way they have to play in order to have a good offense."
If the Titans are working towards building their next offense with a different identity, it definitely wouldn't shock me. This entire offseason the Titans seemed like a team that was trying to have their cake and eat it too. Tennessee wants to build for the future, but they don't want to sacrifice winning now in the process. Peter Skoronski, Will Levis, and Tyjae Spears give Tennessee three players who can have an impact on the 2023 team while also providing long-term stability at some key positions.
Is it possible that Henry forces the Titans' hand and earns a contract extension with a massive 2023 season? Certainly. Given his track record of proving his doubters wrong, I'm not going to be the one to say Henry isn't capable of leading the league in rushing again this fall.
But that's a bridge you cross when you get to it. For right now, I think it's safe to say the Titans are preparing for what things may look like in 2024 and beyond. As Cosell said, the game is constantly evolving, and the Titans are going to evolve with it, even if that means the reign of King Henry is coming to a close soon.
"It's really philosophy and how you see the game evolving and developing. It's very hard in this league now to just build an offense around a running back," said Cosell.
