Tennessee Titans: Derrick Henry Will Outplay DeMarco Murray

Rookie running back Derrick Henry’s acceleration, power, and ability to grind it out every play will soon have him outshining fellow Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray.

When former NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray was traded to the Tennessee Titans after a disappointing 2015 in Philadelphia, the former NFL running back undoubtedly foresaw himself being the team’s workhorse back. After trotting out backs like Antonio Andrews, Dexter McCluster, Bishop Sankey, and David Cobb in 2015, the Titans may have seen the same thing.

That was before Tennessee took running back Derrick Henry in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

After winning the Heisman trophy and the College Football Championship, Derrick Henry was ready to be one of the top running backs off of the board this year, but most of the league was a little surprised when he went to the Titans. DeMarco Murray is set to be the 5th highest payed running back in the league this season (via Spotrac.com), so spending such a high draft pick on another back shows either a lack of faith in Murray or an intense confidence in Henry. Either way, it seems that Henry may be poised to outshine Murray in Tennessee.

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Murray’s 702 rushing yards in 2015 were a far cry from his league-leading 1,845 yards in 2014, and serve as evidence to the argument that he was only successful because of the elite offensive line he played behind in Dallas. This is proven even more by the fact that the Dallas Cowboys reportedly offered their rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot more guaranteed money and a higher average salary than they offered Murray after his huge 2014 season (via Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News). Clearly the Cowboys never saw Murray as a truly elite running back.

Murray struggled in Philly behind a weaker offensive line than he had in Dallas, and the Tennessee line isn’t any better. The Titans seem more likely to play to Murray’s strength than the Eagles did though, as Philly had him running far too many sweeps and stretches. Murray is a pounding back, and the Titans were likely to use him as such, but now they drafted a back with a very similar skill set.

Nov 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray (29) pushes away Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Koa Misi (55) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Dolphins won 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Both guys are big bruising backs, although Henry is bigger and bruising-er at 6’3″ and 247 pounds to Murray’s 6’0″ and 217 pounds. Neither has elite breakaway speed, but both have enough of a motor to make big plays. Both have the ability to pass-protect although Henry’s size makes him better suited for it.

All over, the two’s skill sets seem to match up but Henry’s size and power make him a more intriguing player with much less wear and tear on his body. Murray has played a full season only once in his NFL career, and has missed plenty of games due to leg and foot injuries – not great signs for a running back.

Henry certainly saw plenty of touches (406) last year, but totaled just 213 through his previous two years at Alabama. Murray has averaged 268 touches through his five years in the NFL despite missing 12 games, and averaged 229 touches a year through four years of college before that. Henry’s legs are much fresher and the broken fibula he suffered before his freshman year at Alabama is much less likely to re-emerge than Murray’s soft-tissue and joint injuries are.

Both backs rely heavily on their ability to wear opposing defenses down, which is something they will certainly do together, but Henry seems much less likely to wear himself down than Murray. The ability to carry the load for his team week-in and week-out was something he showed last year at Alabama, and while Murray showed that a few years ago he did it behind the league-best Dallas offensive line. Henry did it against SEC defenses, and shattered SEC records along the way.

Any questions about Henry’s speed an agility should be answered with this ESPN Sports Science video that measures Henry’s acceleration as the fastest of any offensive player in the 2016 draft. That combined with his size allowed Henry to plow through 1,500lbs worth of bags in less time than any running back taken in the last five NFL Drafts has been able to.

This speed and power combination is a very rare thing indeed, and will allow Henry to absolutely dominate opposing defenders. Unlike DeMarco Murray, he doesn’t need as much time and space to get up to top speed, but can do it quickly even while running through tackles.

With always-churning legs, Henry will always be falling forward, and at 6’3″ that makes it unlikely he will get stopped behind the line as often as Murray who rushed for 0 yards or a loss 45 times last season. Even when hit in the backfield, Henry should be able to fight his way to the line of scrimmage and past it for a short gain.

For now, it appears that DeMarco Murray is still officially the lead back for the Titans:

"“I told DeMarco, look, nothing has changed since we made the trade for you,” Tennessee’s Head Coach Mike Mularkey said (via Jason Wolf of the Tennessean). “You’re still the guy that’s going to carry the load for us. When you need to take a break and come off the field there will be no letdown from the next one that comes in, whoever that is.”"

I expect that to change during the 2016 season though, if not before. These two guys running alongside each other will certainly give the Titans an excellent rushing attack, but Henry will outshine Murray with his power, acceleration, and ability to stay on the field.

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The Titans are one of the NFL’s up-and-coming teams, and pairing Derrick Henry with fellow Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota in the backfield makes their offense much more potent. The AFC South won’t be the laughing stock of the league again this year, and the Titans will have to fight hard for every win. Luckily, their ready-to-break-out rookie running back is built perfectly for the battle.

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