A lot of Tennessee Titans fans got a glimmer of hope about Derrick Henry’s timetable for a return on Wednesday thanks to an update on Dallas Cowboys EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence.
That may seem like a mad lib at first, but some context might help.
On September 15th DeMarcus Lawrence suffered the same foot injury that Derrick Henry suffered during the Indianapolis Colts game. A new picture from today (posted below) shows that Lawrence is ramping up his rehab and that he could make his return against the New Orleans Saints.
Doing some quick math, that means that Lawrence could make his full return 88 days after his injury.
Using that same timeline Derrick Henry could return to practice on Week 18 and then ramp up his rehab with the goal of playing in the second round of the playoffs.
DeMarcus Lawrence appears to be stepping up his rehab from foot surgery. In a helmet and with his cleats taped up. The Cowboys have not opened his practice window off IR yet but the New Orleans game could be a possibility. pic.twitter.com/H1RestDAdW
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) November 17, 2021
Is that realistic for the Tennessee Titans?
Yes and no. Obviously, every injury is different and every player is different so the timetable is still up in the air.
If the difference between a 90-day return and an 80-day return is pain tolerance, then there is a chance that he could come back sooner than Lawrence did, considering that he played the full game with a broken foot the last time we saw him on the field.
What should really matter to Titans fans is how Lawrence looks when he comes back.
As soon as Henry is on the field defenses are going to put a lot of stress on him to make sure that he is still the same running back. Whether that means extra hits or testing him in blitz pick-ups, defenses are going to force the Titans to make sure that they have a healthy Derrick Henry when he comes back.
Again, every injury is different and before Titans’ fans decide to start calling Derrick Henry “Wolverine” (like some fans in Seattle), it is important to remember that the general thought process has been that the next update we get on Henry should come right after the bye week.
That is when the 6-10 week window opens and the earliest that Titans’ fans can hope to see Henry in a helmet again is sometime around Week 15, and even then that will just be in practice.
Still, it is hard not to get excited when you consider that the Tennessee Titans might be in a position to add one of the best players in football to a team that has a stranglehold on the #1 seed in the AFC right now.