3 potential landing spots for Derrick Henry this offseason
Andrew Nelles ,The Tennessean, USA TODAY NETWORK
After eight seasons in Tennessee, the Titans will be moving on from running back Derrick Henry.
Throughout his time with the Titans, Henry amassed 9.502 rushing yards, 90 touchdowns and had an average of 4.7 yards a carry. Henry only had three seasons in Tennessee where he did not rush for 1,000 yards, and in one of those seasons, he missed the mark due to injury. Henry finished the 2023-24 season with 280 rushing attempts, 1,167 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns and 4.2 yards per carry.
2023 was Henry’s worst statistical year since 2022, the season he missed 9 games. Yet, he still led the league in rushing attempts and had a better season than a lot of other running backs. Here’s a look at some of the best potential landing spots for Henry
1. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are at the top of the list for places Henry can end up since their offense is predicated on the run, and they were in the AFC Championship games this season. Even though the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson focused more on the passing game in 2023, they still finished the season first in overall rushing attempts at 541. The two players who led the Ravens in rushing attempts were RB Gus Edwards (198) and Jackson (148). Edwards led the team because he was the only running back who was able to stay healthy all season long for the Ravens.
However, if the Ravens added Henry, then they may not have to worry about durability as he has only missed one season due to injury. So if you pair Henry and his durability up with Jackson and a returning speedy running back in Keaton Mitchell, the Ravens' running game might be nearly unstoppable.
The only roadblock for the Ravens to make this scenario a reality is their cap situation. Currently. the Ravens have $16,631,328 in cap space. They will need to roll some of that money over so they can extend some of their big name defenders in the coming seasons. However, if Henry is only chasing Super Bowls, he may be willing to take a pay cut to join the Ravens.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Another potential spot for Henry to land is Dallas with the Cowboys. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the media after their playoff exit this year that next year they were going “All In”. Next season may be the Cowboys’ last chance with this current group to make a Super Bowl.
One of the Cowboys' biggest weaknesses over the past few seasons is their lack of a run game when playoff time comes. In their past three appearances, their running backs have been Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Elliott had 53 total rushing yards and averaged 2.3 yards a carry in two playoff games in the 2023 playoff. The year before that, Elliot rushed for 31 yards and averaged 2.5 yards a carry in the Cowboys’ playoff game. Pollard has played in each of the teams' playoff runs these past three seasons. In the Cowboys’ 2024 playoff game, Pollard had 56 rush yards and averaged 3.7 yards a carry. The year prior, Pollard rushed for 99 total yards and averaged 4.7 yards a carry in two games, and in the 2022 playoff, Pollard rushed for 14 yards and averaged 3.5 yards a carry.
That type of production just won't cut it in the playoffs because in order to win playoff games, the Cowboys need to control the clock by running. That is why signing Henry would be beneficial to the Cowboys. However, much like the Ravens, Dallas has major cap problems and would need Henry to take a team friendly contract. Henry may be less likely to take a contract from the Cowboys than the Ravens because of Dallas’s aging team.
3. Washington Commanders
The Commanders are definitely the most interesting team on this list because they are in a rebuild and not close to the playoffs. However, they do have $77,904,671 in cap space, so if Henry is looking for one more big payday, then Washington can give it to him. Signing Henry would be a big help to whatever quarterback the Commanders decide to draft because he could take some weight off the quarterbacks' shoulders for a few seasons.
Adding Henry to a backfield with running back Brian Robinson Jr. sounds like a good proposition. Robinson Jr. finished this season with 733 rushing yards, five touchdowns and an average of 4.1 yards a carry. While neither Henry nor Robinson Jr. excel in passing catching Robinson Jr. did finish the year with 368 receiving yards, so he could fit the role of being the team's receiving back. If the Commander do sign Henry, then their offense would be in a decent spot to compete with most teams in the NFC next season.