With the Tennessee Titans facing uncertainty at the wide receiver position, running back Derrick Henry figures to see another heavy workload against the New York Jets on Sunday.
The former Heisman winner has 80 carries for 353 yards on the young season. The Yulee, Florida native is on pace to rush for exactly 2,000 yards, which would mark the second consecutive year he’s achieved that milestone.
Jets wide receiver Corey Davis knows full well how great Henry can be after being teammates with him for four seasons, but also says the Titans running back “can be stopped.”
“Honestly, it doesn’t make sense for him to be that big and run like he does — it’s amazing to see it when I was there, but he can be stopped,” Davis said. “There’s no question. We have to get after him, and we will.”
Davis had high expectations coming into the Titans’ organization after being taken fifth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Dropped balls and lackluster production plagued his career, and Tennessee declined his fifth-year option.
He signed a three-year deal with the Jets in the offseason, and while his new team has yet to notch a win in 2021 and is struggling offensively, New York’s defense is nothing to scoff at, something Henry pointed to earlier this week.
“I think it’s a big challenge – they have a really good front,” Henry said of the Jets’ defense. “They fly around to the ball. C.J. Mosley – he’s always around the ball, and they penetrate in front, they’re physical and willing to tackle. It’s a big challenge for us on offense.”
Mosley is obviously familiar with Henry from their playing days at Alabama, and the Jets inside linebacker will be tasked with limiting Henry’s production.
However, that has not been easy for Henry’s opponents over the last few years. In fact, no player in NFL history has rushed for more yards in a 25-game span than Henry has over his last 25, with 3,276 yards.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh called Henry “a massive human being,” which is an accurate description for Henry’s 6-foot-3, 247-pound frame.
“Have you guys ever seen him in person?” Robert Saleh asked the New York media on Wednesday. “He is a massive human being. Wait till you guys see this one. They’ve got great conviction in running the football. It looks like it’s simple, but it gives a lot of issues for defenses. When this man gets rolling, he looks like an offensive lineman carrying the football. He’s deserving of all the accolades he’s gotten, and it’s going to be a tremendous challenge.”
The Jets come into this matchup with the 11th-best rushing defense, allowing 3.8 yards per attempt, but they have yet to face a running back like Henry.
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