Story at the Titans team website about the running backs, most notably Derrick Henry. He's heading into the final year of his contract, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith plans to make him the centerpiece of his offense this year.
Specifically, Smith says he intends to "ride Henry," which makes sense when you look at how thing worked out when they did that a year ago. Henry was a star over the final five contests, helping the Titans to about the most effective ground game in the league.
In the first half of the season, with a Dion Lewis-Henry committee going on, Tennessee averaged just 3.9 yards per rushing attempt. In the final eight games, during which Henry was moved into a featured role, the team averaged 5.1 yards per carry. That improvement of 1.2 yards per attempt was better than any team but Baltimore, whose improvement was fueled by the switch to Lamar Jackson at quarterback.
| TEAM RUSHING, 1ST HALF VS. 2ND HALF, 2018 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Yds(1st) | Avg(1st) | Yds(2nd) | Avg(2nd) | Yds(Diff) | Avg(Diff) |
| Baltimore | 773 | 3.6 | 1668 | 5.0 | 895 | 1.4 |
| Tennessee | 880 | 3.9 | 1143 | 5.1 | 263 | 1.2 |
| Buffalo | 778 | 3.7 | 1206 | 4.7 | 428 | 1.0 |
| Seattle | 1097 | 4.3 | 1463 | 5.2 | 366 | .9 |
| Atlanta | 737 | 4.1 | 836 | 4.9 | 99 | .8 |
| NY Giants | 623 | 4.2 | 1027 | 5.0 | 404 | .8 |
| New Orleans | 897 | 3.9 | 1128 | 4.7 | 231 | .8 |
| Arizona | 540 | 3.4 | 802 | 4.1 | 262 | .7 |
| Cincinnati | 742 | 4.4 | 940 | 4.9 | 198 | .5 |
| Green Bay | 845 | 4.8 | 822 | 5.2 | -23 | .4 |
| Kansas City | 919 | 4.6 | 936 | 5.0 | 17 | .4 |
| Houston | 984 | 4.1 | 1037 | 4.5 | 53 | .4 |
| Minnesota | 697 | 4.0 | 796 | 4.3 | 99 | .3 |
| New England | 922 | 4.1 | 1115 | 4.4 | 193 | .3 |
| Tampa Bay | 721 | 3.8 | 802 | 4.1 | 81 | .3 |
| Miami | 864 | 4.6 | 874 | 4.8 | 10 | .2 |
| Oakland | 760 | 4.1 | 868 | 4.3 | 108 | .2 |
| LA Rams | 1207 | 4.8 | 1024 | 5.0 | -183 | .2 |
| Cleveland | 1019 | 4.6 | 874 | 4.6 | -145 | .0 |
| Washington | 975 | 4.3 | 799 | 4.2 | -176 | -.1 |
| Carolina | 1151 | 5.2 | 985 | 5.1 | -166 | -.1 |
| Jacksonville | 760 | 4.2 | 963 | 4.1 | 203 | -.1 |
| Pittsburgh | 813 | 4.3 | 632 | 4.1 | -181 | -.2 |
| Philadelphia | 853 | 4.1 | 717 | 3.8 | -136 | -.3 |
| NY Jets | 910 | 4.1 | 712 | 3.8 | -198 | -.3 |
| Chicago | 1027 | 4.4 | 911 | 3.8 | -116 | -.6 |
| San Francisco | 1069 | 4.8 | 833 | 4.1 | -236 | -.7 |
| Dallas | 1030 | 4.8 | 933 | 4.1 | -97 | -.7 |
| Detroit | 834 | 4.5 | 826 | 3.8 | -8 | -.7 |
| Denver | 1065 | 5.3 | 842 | 4.4 | -223 | -.9 |
| Indianapolis | 941 | 4.7 | 777 | 3.8 | -164 | -.9 |
| LA Chargers | 1031 | 5.2 | 842 | 4.2 | -189 | -1.0 |
Henry has been enough of a tease thus far in his career, and so much of his production came so late last season, that he'll probably be overlooked in the earliest rounds of a lot of drafts. He also won't be a factor in the passing game. But with the Titans figuring to lean on the ground game for as long as they're able in games, he could be a big factor this season, and undervalued in a lot of leagues. Hard to trust, perhaps, but what the team is saying right now is very promising.
--Andy Richardson