Is This NFL Team Making Changes By Trading Away Their Dynamic Playmaker?
The NFL’ s new league year kicks off next week, and big-name players will be rumored in a bunch of trades and free-agent deals. A huge player that has been one of the best at his position for the last five years is being shopped.
Among those players being shopped at the combine: Derrick Henry, DeAndre Hopkins, Jalen Ramsey…@BallySports https://t.co/TCv0Fx8qDG — Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) March 6, 2023
The Tennessee Titans are shopping running back Derrick Henry according, to Michael Silver of BallySports.com.
Why Would The Titans Trade Henry?
Henry who, just turned 29 in January is coming off his fourth 1,000-yard rushing season in his five NFL years, and the only reason why it’s not five years in a row is that he had an injury that kept him out of nine games in 2021.
The Titans have already cut left tackle Taylor Lewan, and wide receiver Robert Woods this offseason, and their wanting to move on from Henry is not shocking, in fact it’s more of a sign that they have their mind on the future.
The Titans look to be heading in a different direction after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. This new rebuild for the Titans started when they traded one of the best wide receivers A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles on draft night last season.
Henry is one of the best runners of football in the NFL and is 6’3, and 247 pounds is very hard for anyone to be able to bring him down.
Where Henry Could Land?
Henry would want to be traded to a playoff team, and there are a few out there that make sense. Let’s throw out money and contracts for a second and live in fantasy land because NFL general managers do live in fantasy land sometimes, and they’re able to work the salary cap and get anyone under it.
The Buffalo Bills would be deadly with Henry and quarterback Josh Allen running the football. The Bills would have two guys that nobody would be able to take down running the ball.
Imagine Derrick Henry in the Bill offense 🤯 pic.twitter.com/6xGILqYSHA — PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) March 6, 2023
Defenses get worn out when they just have to face either Allen or Henry, but facing both would be a nightmare.
Why not throw out the NFC Champions the Philadelphia Eagles? The Eagles love running the football and just like the Bills they use their quarterback Jalen Hurts to run the ball all over teams.
Henry could come in and give the Eagles a boost out of the backfield. The Eagles starting running back Miles Sanders is set to hit free agency, so if he’s not signed back, it could leave a hole in the backfield. Henry could reunite with former teammate A.J Brown, and that would not feel great for Titans fans, but could be quite the treat for the rest of the NFL fandom.
This team is nowhere close to being a playoff team, but the Carolina Panthers make sense. New head coach Frank Reich needs a running back and when Reich was with the Indianapolis Colts, he used his running back Jonathan Taylor like the Titians used Henry. Taylor was the best running back in football in 2021, and Henry should fit Reich’s offense just the same.
Another team that makes sense is the Atlanta Falcons. Falcons head coach Arthur Smith used to be the Titan’s offensive coordinator in 2019-2020 and held many different roles with the team since 2011. Familiarity goes a long way in today’s NFL, and Smith needs a running back like Henry for his offense – so why not bring Henry in and work with him like old times in Tennessee?
Henry should have a handful of teams wanting his services, but it does look like Henry played his last snap with the Titans, and he will be either traded or cut in the next couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see where Henry lands.
The NFL offseason is a rollercoaster ride, and you better buckle your seatbelt because this ride is about to start.