For the fourth straight year, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has made the cut on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list.
NFL Network unveiled the top 20 players on Sunday night and Henry landed at No. 12. The ranking is eight spots lower than last year when Henry ranked at No. 4. He was ranked at No. 99 and No. 10 the two years prior.
Although the sequel to King Henry’s historic 2,000-yard rushing season was plagued by injury, there’s an esteemed reputation that precedes Tennessee’s bruiser. Henry nearly eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark despite being limited to eight games in 2021 (937 rushing yards) and still managed to find the end zone 10 times. Stopping the 6-foot-3, 247-pounder is a daunting task for any opposing defense, and he’s one of the few RBs in today’s NFL who can take over the temperament of a game with his throwback rushing style.
While an impressive ranking, Henry isn’t the highest-ranked back on the list, as that honor goes to Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who landed at No. 5.
Henry was well on his way to another rushing crown in 2021, and quite possibly another 2,000-yard season before going down to a foot injury, something that forced him to miss the final nine games.
Despite the injury, Henry still managed to finish top 10 in carries (10th), rushing yards (9th), and rushing touchdowns (T-6th). In fact, he wasn’t knocked out of the top five in rushing yards until December.
If Henry doesn’t get hurt, Taylor doesn’t win a rushing crown. As a result, we want to see Taylor outproduce Henry over the course of an entire season before even considering crowning him the league’s top back.
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