Tennessee Titans superstar running back Derrick Henry has some truly eye-popping numbers over the last few years.
Last season alone, King Henry accounted for nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns despite the fact that he played with three different quarterbacks, a horrendous offensive line, a lackluster play-caller (to put it nicely) and no receiver eclipsing more than 550 yards on the year.
Believe it or not, there are still people out there who will say he’s coming off a down year.
One thing is for certain: Henry is still one of the most explosive runners in the league even though he’s probably hovering around 260 pounds these days.
According to Next Gen Stats, Henry tied with New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley for the seventh-highest explosive runner score (85) of the year. In total, the Titans running back finished with:
10+ yard runs: 37
10+ pct: 10.6%
15+ mph runs: 57
15+ mph pct: 16.3%
Here is what Nick Shook of NFL.com had to say about Henry’s ranking:
It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Henry receive the same explosive score as Saquon Barkley, who is seventh on this list. They finished with the same percentage of runs at 15-plus mph, and Henry fell just 0.2 percent short of Barkley in percentage of rushes gaining 10-plus yards.
Henry’s 2022 season was a bit different from the previous couple of years in that he didn’t start too strongly. Henry didn’t break 100 rushing yards in a game until Week 4. From Week 4 through 9, Henry recorded 100-plus rushing yards in each game. Naturally, Tennessee won four of the five contests it played in that span.
Ever the bulldozing back, Henry finished second in rushing yards gained after contact (1,252 of his 1,538), logged 11 gains of 10-plus yards over expected, and his 57 runs of 15-plus mph showed he isn’t declining just yet. Henry will turn 30 years old before the end of the 2023 season, but as of now, he’s still among the league’s best at creating big plays.
Simply put: the former Offensive Player of the Year is a unique talent whose rare blend of size, speed, and power present a legitimate problem for the opposition anytime No. 22 lines up in the backfield.
Henry hitting the wall at 30 like many backs is undoubtedly worrisome, but if there is anybody who deserves the benefit of the doubt that they’ll be able to maintain a high level of play into their 30s, it’s King Henry.
