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Derrick Henry, welcome to the Superstar Club courtesy of Dan Hanzus

By Will Lomas

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans carries the ball against Earl Thomas #29 of the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans carries the ball against Earl Thomas #29 of the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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Titans RB and Superstar Club member, Derrick Henry has a nice ring to it.

The list of running back’s in the famed Superstar Club is only six names long, but now Derrick Henry can count himself among that dignified group.

Dan Hanzus of NFL.com and more notably the Around the NFL podcast, created the Superstar Club as a way to honor the best players in the game without relying on previous accolades or accomplishments.

In his own words:

"Yes, The Superstar Club is a meeting ground for the best of the best. It’s also a place of exclusivity, an establishment that studies its membership each year — welcoming in fresh new game changers while politely saying to stars in decline, “Sir, we think you should be leaving now.”"

This year the Superstar Club said goodbye to several names like Cam Newton, Le’Veon Bell and Todd Gurley and welcomed in a new batch of stars.

The Titans running back wasn’t a member of the Superstar Club to this point, because Derrick Henry had explosions of brilliance, but he had to prove that he could pair those with stretches of consistency.

Stop me if you have heard this before, but that is exactly what happened this season. Not only did that newfound consistency lead to Derrick Henry improving in every single category, but it also led to him winning the NFL’s rushing title in just 15 games.

His reward for being an elite back was public notoriety and honors, his name going down in history, breaking some postseason records, but most importantly he is in the SC. After presenting Dan Hanzus with the smoldering remains of what was left of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise (I am guessing this is how it happened) Hanzus announced his induction like this:

"No non-quarterback in football is more important to his offense than Derrick Henry. In order to make it all work in Nashville, Mike Vrabel needs his powerhouse running back to pile-drive the enemy. Henry did just that en route to the rushing title in 2019, and the Titans finished one game shy of the Super Bowl as a result. Henry’s absolute dominance since the mid-point of the 2018 season makes him a no-brainer for The Club, but he also exists as something of an anomaly when stacked alongside his superstar RB brethren, who are all proven playmakers in both the running and passing games. Then again, Henry has shown he can do damage in the realm of the aerial attack — as long as he’s the guy throwing the oblong sphere."

I’ll close the induction ceremony by saying that there is a real chance that if Derrick Henry ever learned how to pass block well enough to get on the field on third downs, he could lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage.

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