Tennessee Titans would you rather: More Derrick Henry or more deep shots?

The argument for more Derrick Henry

I don’t say all that to try and disparage Derrick Henry. I think we have all seen that if he gets 3+ yards of blocking or if he gets the edge then he is a true homerun threat.

In fact, I don’t think that there is anyone on the Titans roster who is more explosive with the ball in his hands. So, if you are trying to run the offense through Henry there are a few things you can do to make him more of a constant threat.

The first thing is to run more read option looks. If you aren’t going to use Marcus Mariota‘s arm, then use his athleticism.

Early in Henry’s career the Titans would mix this in and it was always incredibly effective because Mariota is quick and seems to be a tough assignments for defenders who aren’t responsible for him immediately after the snap.

Another thing I would add in is Henry on some jet sweeps and pop passes in motion. That way you find ways to get him the ball with a head of steam that aren’t likely to end in a fumble or an incompletion.

Finally, treat him as a real blocker. When he is in, he can’t be a chip and release guy or someone waiting to break out into a route he needs to be responsible for blocking (non dominant EDGEs or DTs) one-on-one.

With his size and frame he should be able to do that and if you allow him that chance, you make your entire pass protection better. Now all of the sudden Henry gets the EDGE on the right side while Conklin blocks down and helps Davis which makes it easier for Jones and so on and so forth.

Think about it like how the Minnesota Vikings seem to be running their offense. The QB is a compliment to the running game and the defense.