The Tennessee Titans are 1-1 to start the 2017 NFL season, but it’s become clear that Derrick Henry should supplant DeMarco Murray as RB1.
Marcus Mariota not breaking his leg in Week 16 of last season likely wouldn’t have affected the Tennessee Titans‘ playoff chances. They were trailing in that penultimate regular season contest when he went down, and a loss effectively eliminated them. Thus, they were a team close to taking the next step, but not quite there. With their 2017 offseason, though, many believed they’re ready to make it happen this year.
Perhaps the biggest reason behind the hope for the Titans in 2017 is what they added on offense. Last year, the offense was largely contingent upon their running game, spearheaded by veteran DeMarco Murray. Behind an underrated and elite offensive line, Murray enjoyed a ton of success in his first year in Tennessee. However, Mariota didn’t have a plethora of quality or reliable receiving options. Thus, the offense was one-dimensional at times.
Adding the likes of rookies Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor and Jonnu Smith, in addition to veteran Eric Decker, seemingly showed a shift for the better in that regard, though. We finally caught a glimpse of that in the second half of their Week 2 drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars as the offense couldn’t be stopped by a good defense.
What’s interesting, though, is that they seemed to hit their stride at a distinct point. That point was when they started giving second-year running back Derrick Henry the bulk of the rushing workload and Murray took a backseat. Considering how massive a role Murray played last season, that might seem surprising. But if you’ve watched Tennessee through the first two weeks, it’s not shocking at all.
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Through the first two games, Murray has 21 carries for only 69 yards. If you take away his 21-yard carry on the year, he’s averaged 2.4 yards per carry on all other totes. By comparison, Henry now has 20 carries to his credit on the year, going for 117 yards and a score. Not only is that 5.9 yards per carry average substantially better than the elder statesman, but it’s also been a more consistent brand of running, exemplified by Henry posting those numbers with no carries over 20 yards to this point.
More than just the numbers alone, though, the eye-test shows you why the stats look that way. Henry, who was praised for his power and explosiveness throughout camp, has run with nice speed, purpose and great explosion. Murray, meanwhile, looks like a shell of what he was a year ago while also looking considerably slower than he was last year — and even more detrimentally to him, than the game around him.
When the Titans drafted Henry, it was with the intention of him being their back for the future. Week 2 provided enough evidence for me to say that the future should officially begin now in that backfield.
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Murray may well have something left to give, but he hasn’t showed it yet this season. Contrarily, Henry being on the field truly gave this Titans offense the balanced look they were hoping for this season. It might be a tough sell to the veteran, but it’s one he should be forced to buy. There’s still good reason to believe Tennessee can be 2017’s breakout team, and they could win the AFC South running away. With that said, their best chance of doing that comes if Henry assumes the No. 1 spot on the running back depth chart.