The Tennessee Titans are looking to do some serious damage in 2021.
They now have one of the most imposing receiving corps in the NFL, after their acquisition of two time All-Pro Julio Jones in May.
Third-year pass-catcher A.J. Brown has also done nothing but impress since he got to Tennessee.
The tandem will be a challenging matchup for most secondaries week in and week out, and should make life easier for quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry.
It’s not often that a non-quarterback is viewed as the most indispensable player on the team, but the Titans have a unique situation.
Since arriving in Tennessee and taking over for Marcus Mariota, Tannehill has been awfully impressive, and led the Titans to back to back playoff appearances.
It’s a pretty neat career resurgence for a player who was viewed as largely expendable after his tenure with the Miami Dolphins.
Football is BACK! 😍@ryantannehill1 ⏩ @1kalwaysopen_ pic.twitter.com/Ivr7Y0DgXm
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 3, 2021
While Tannehill’s presence and value to the Titans is certainly noteworthy, Henry is more important to the team.
Why Henry Is More Important For Tennessee
This isn’t meant to be an anti-Tannehill piece, but there would need to be reasons why Tannehill doesn’t get the nod over his bruising running back.
Think back to when Tannehill was on the Dolphins, and the type of rushing attacks those offenses had.
The leading rushers in his six (healthy) years with Miami were; Reggie Bush, Lamar Miller (three times), Jay Ajayi and Frank Gore.
One could argue that Ajayi’s 2016 season was truly elite, but besides that, which other names jump out as guys who could consistently provide top notch production on the ground?
The narrative that Tannehill wasn’t done any favors by the franchise or head coach Adam Gase has already been well circulated, but he largely did have to win games on his own with the Dolphins.
In a decently large sample size, he wasn’t able to do that on a consistent basis.
That would be the crux of the argument as to why Henry is a more integral part of the Titans than Tannehill is.
Henry’s ferocious running style and ability allow Tennessee’s offense to churn out yards, eat up clock, and wear out defenses.
It would be interesting to see what would happen in a world where someone of Henry’s caliber didn’t exist in Tennessee’s backfield.
Would Tannehill be able to lead the Titans to the postseason with Brown and Jones as elite weapons on the outside?
We should also underscore Henry’s legitimately special ability to further support the idea that he’s essential to Tennessee’s team.
After sporadic use in his first couple seasons in the NFL, Henry has burst on to the scene as one of the league’s most prolific bellcows.
He’s handled a gargantuan workload in the last two seasons, rushing the ball 303 times in 2019, and 378 times in 2020.
Everyday. Hard Work.
In the Gym with @KingHenry_2 👑 pic.twitter.com/whoNbGnsU2
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) July 9, 2021
Time will tell as to whether Henry will wear down after that much action, but his nearly 5.3 yards per carry average opens everything up for Tannehill and the rest of the offense.
NEXT: Titans Remain A Quiet Super Bowl Contender In 2021
