Tennessee Titans: Updates on Derrick Henry’s rehab progress
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is at least making some progress in his rehab from a calf injury.
Derrick Henry hasn’t practiced at all this offseason since injuring his left calf during the first day of training camp, but the Tennessee Titans running back is showing a little progress in his rehab.
Update: Sunday, August 18th at 1:13 p.m. ET
Head coach Mike Vrabel gave a vague update on Henry, noting the most important thing is to have him ready for Week 1.
Vrabel on @KingHenry_2: Will continue to monitor him and see where he's at physically. The whole goal is to get him healthy and ready to go for Week 1 for @Titans vs @Browns
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 18, 2019
End of update
Update: Wednesday, August 14th at 1:00 p.m. ET
Henry progressed to running and catching passes on Wednesday.
Derrick Henry is working on a separate field running routes and catching passes. Jon Robinson is throwing to him. Henry just caught one and turned upfield and sprinted.#Titans
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 14, 2019
End of update
Henry, who is dealing with a strained calf muscle, was seen on a side field at practice working with fellow injured player, tight end Jonnu Smith.
It is the first work Henry has done outside other than catching balls off the jugs machine since suffering his injury, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
Derrick Henry and Jonnu Smith are working on a side field. Good sign for the #Titans since Henry hasn't done anything other than catch the ball off the jugs machine since the first day of camp.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 11, 2019
The Athletic’s John Glennon noted that Henry still had the wrap on his left calf.
Derrick Henry on the field doing some individual work on far field. Still has wrap on left calf.
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) August 11, 2019
Granted, this is a small step for Henry, but a good sign nonetheless. Henry was initially given a two week timetable to return, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It has been a little more than two weeks since Henry suffered the initial injury, however that isn’t much of a concern. Teams typically will take injury rehab much slower at this early stage before the start of the season because there’s simply nothing to be gained by rushing a player back.
And that’s especially true for Henry, who should be the workhorse back in what is going to be a run-first Titans offense.
Henry had a breakout campaign in 2018, finishing with his first 1,000-yard season. He also scored 12 touchdowns, seven of which came in the last four weeks when Henry went off for 585 yards.
The Alabama product finds himself in a contract year, and a big season should lead to him getting paid, whether it’s from the Titans or some other team.
Of course, running backs who are seeking long-term deals are always wading in tricky waters. Henry will need to stand out in a big way this season if he hopes to secure his own long-term deal.