Tennessee Titans have to find a way to get Derrick Henry a reception

Another tip for Tennessee Titans OC Arthur Smith.

If it feels like we are constantly trying to tell new Tennessee Titans OC Arthur Smith how to do his job…well that is because someone has to right?

That was somewhat sarcastic, but at this point no Titans fan should assume that Smith has a great idea of what the offense should be doing on a week to week basis. Until fans see Smith come in and call a few games where he has clearly identified a weakness and planned how to attack that weakness, we should all assume the worst.

So, assuming the worst this is a reminder that this week the Titans need to find a way to get Derrick Henry heavily involved in both the pass and run game.

I will be the first one to criticize Henry’s hands because there are times when he looks unbelievably unnatural trying to catch the ball. To be fair, humans that size are generally rushing the passer or dropping into coverage, not running crisp routes and catching passes, so there is a physiological excuse for how bad it looks.

Anyway, the reason I bring all of this up is because this incredibly helpful breakdown shows where the Denver Broncos defense is allowing the most yardage through the air.

Only 5 teams in the NFL allow a higher percentage of receiving yards to the running backs than Denver.

If you are the one fan out there that is thinking, “Shouldn’t this be a Dion Lewis game then?” the answer is a no, that doesn’t exist in Tennessee anymore.

The problem is, the Titans haven’t found a way to get Henry the ball in space since the first game of the season when he had that massive screen reception for a TD. We have seen some halfhearted attempts to get Henry is a good position to make a play like the wildcat formation, but the Titans need to continue to try to innovate.

More from Titan Sized

• Tennessee Titans suspiciously quiet about major draft need
• Tennessee Titans agree to new deal with star Jeffery Simmons
• Caesars Promo Code Expires Soon – Claim $1,250 Today
• 3 needs that are being overblown by Tennessee Titans fans
• Tennessee Titans have potential dilemmas in 2023 NFL Draft

I don’t really think that Arthur Smith understands how to use presnap motion at an NFL level and I don’t think he is creative enough to try to get Henry the ball on a sweep play without telegraphic it.

Maybe I am overthinking it and the Titans just need to run some clear out routes to give Henry some space in the flats, but I would really like to see them use some form of a moving pocket rolling to the right and then find a way to hit Henry on the left side when the defense flows to Mariota.

Think about how the Bills scored a touchdown on the Titans last week with the old “Fasano” play. Now modify that and find a way to get Henry there.

This isn’t going to be able to be a big staple of the offense and you only have the chance to try this once or twice because Henry is going to drop a lot of passes and you can’t just let drives die this way.

However, if Arthur Smith has it in him to figure out how to make this happen the Broncos have shown that they are susceptible to running backs out of the backfield. So if the Titans are looking for a mismatch, there is a big one if they can make it work.