Predicting destinations for Marcus Mariota, Derrick Henry and other Titans free agents
By Brady Akins
![FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans and Derrick Henry #22 look on in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans and Derrick Henry #22 look on in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Ftitansized-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2018-2F08-2F1198324521-1-850x560-7b899659a655f5bfbb4fb03cc8cd1f8d926ab0eee7c5652483ed33b728820091.jpg)
Derrick Henry
Prediction — Tennessee Titans
Much like Tannehill, I think a contract that keeps Derrick Henry in Nashville is a contract that benefits both parties.
Henry is a volume running back. He looks better as the game goes on, and has proven he has no aversion to carrying the load with consecutive games over 20 or 30 carries.
The Titans, contrary to everything that is the modern NFL, are a team that has been built to run the ball over 30 times a game. They leaned on Henry and that run-first mentality all the way to an AFC Championship bid. Those kinds of carries with that kind of production can’t be replaced by one player, and it can’t be found on any team other than Tennessee.
There are teams that run the ball more than the Titans, but none who run it like the Titans. Teams like Baltimore and San Francisco run the ball through a committee of players with clever schemes and motions. Tennessee runs the ball through one person, Henry, and lets him go to work. Henry won’t be able to find that anywhere else.
So, this deal makes sense both ways, and it’s looking as though it might work out of Henry in Tennessee.
Henry has expressed his interest in returning to the Titans multiple times, along with Robinson saying he wants to keep the star running back in Tennessee. Little rumors have spread about Henry seeking employment outside of Nashville, and no news is typically good news with stuff like this. Henry should be on pace to come back.