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Derrick Henry has been waiting for this week since he was drafted by the Titans
By Cody McClure
Published:
Former Alabama running back Derrick Henry is finally about to get the majority of reps among Tennessee Titans running backs.
Henry’s backfield mate, DeMarco Murray, suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s 27-23 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. There is a chance Murray won’t be ready to play at all against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, a report from AL.com indicated.
Henry leads the Titans with 693 rushing yards this season, though there has often been a debate on which running back should carry the biggest load. This week, the debate may not matter.
“(Henry) will get a bigger load,” Tennessee head coach Mike Mularkey said. “It’s good for him. I’m glad we have him. That’s what he’s here for, and (third-team running back David) Fluellen as well. And again, that’s me speaking right after the game. I’ve seen (Murray) before come back pretty strong. He’s about as tough a player as we got.
“I’m not going to rule him out just yet,” Mularkey reiterated on Tuesday. “The thing with DeMarco, based on some of the other things he’s had happen to him and how quickly he responds to treatment, I’d say he’s day-to-day right now, and I just hope for the best. Maybe in a limited role, we don’t know yet.”
Regardless, every indication is that Henry will be getting most of the reps this week. That’s good news for Titans fans considering he ran for a career-high 92 yards (at the time) the last time the Titans faced the Jags.
Henry has apparently gotten better in multiple areas — particularly when it comes to pass blocking.
“He’s gotten better, there’s no question,” Mularkey said. “Obviously, all the experience and the time, what a difference a year makes for him. He’s much better than he was his rookie year. It’s pretty overwhelming when you get into the protection schemes, especially when a defense goes substituted defense with nickels and dimes. It gets complicated, but he’s definitely improved from his first year to this one.”
The Jags and Titans kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET in Nashville. The Titans will make the NFL playoffs as a wild card if they can beat Jacksonville.
Cody McClure is an SEC Football Writer for Saturday Down South. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he also co-hosts a midday sports radio show for FOX Sports. Cody previously worked for Athlon Sports.
