Derrick Henry has always been known for his raw strength when running the football, but many people underestimate his acceleration when he reaches the open field. He has showcased both of these traits throughout his collegiate and professional career, and he ultimately won the 2015 Heisman Award because of his potent running ability.
During his 2015 season with Alabama, he ran for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns within 15 games. These astronomical numbers guided Alabama to a National Championship victory and let Henry confidently declare for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Surprisingly, Henry was not drafted until the middle of the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was picked 45th overall by the Tennessee Titans, where he would share the backfield with DeMarco Murray for his first couple of seasons.
Murray was a notable running back for the Dallas Cowboys and had a breakout season in 2014, as he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards. While Henry was able to average over 4 yards per game while sharing carries with Murray, he was never able to tire out defenses and punish them later in the game like he was able to do at Alabama.
However, Murray could not play due to injury heading into the 2017 NFL playoffs which allowed Henry to be the feature back. Henry took advantage of the spotlight by running for 156 yards and a touchdown, which helped spark an 18 point comeback victory for the Titans.
Even though they lost to the Patriots in the next round of the playoffs, Henry had already proven why he deserved to be the primary running back for the Titans.
During the next season, he started 12 out of 16 games and rushed for 1,059 yards along with 12 touchdowns. They missed the playoffs by one game, but Henry was establishing himself as one of the more talented running backs in the NFL.
Finally, he took an enormous step forward in his 2019 campaign by starting all 15 games he played and leading the league in rushing. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry, ran for 1,540 yards, and 16 touchdowns. This was good enough to lead the Titans to the playoffs, and Henry was able to carry the Titans to the AFC Conference Championship game.
They were able to pull off upsets against the #3 seeded Patriots and the #1 seeded Ravens behind Henry’s stellar performances. He ran for nearly 200 yards in both games and averaged 5.3 yards per carry through all three playoff games.
The Titans received lots of scrutiny for signing their quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a major $118 million four-year extension before signing Henry to a long-term deal. However, the Titans were able to sign Henry within the last couple of weeks by offering him $50 million over four years. That contract makes Henry one of the highest paid running backs in the NFL, and his last couple of seasons were proof that he deserved the payday.