Derrick Henry named Titans non-QB MVP by NFL.com

In football, awards like college football’s Heisman Trophy and the NFL MVP have become quarterback heavy awards. Even with signal callers getting all the love, the sport boasts plenty of other incredible talent outside that position. Ahead of the 2022 NFL season, NFL.com’s Kevin Patra named MVP candidates for every NFL team that included no quarterbacks. He went in a fairly obvious direction for the Tennessee Titans by selecting running back Derrick Henry.

Henry, who played in just eight games last season due to a broken bone in his foot, is primed to have a bounce back season. He makes the case for Henry based on the production he had in 2021 in limited games played.

“The motor of the Titans’ offense will be asked to shoulder the load once again. Despite missing nine games in 2021, Henry finished ninth in the league in rushing (937 yards). That’s the most missed games by a player finishing a season in the top 10 in rushing in NFL history,” said Patra. “In his eight games played, Henry earned a whopping 27.4 carries per tilt (most in the NFL), which would have worked out to a ridonkulous 465 totes if he’d maintained that pace over the entire season.”

Henry was well on his way to a third straight MVP caliber season before his injury. He led the league in rushes, rush yards and rush yards per game in both 2019 and 2020. He also led the league in touches and yards from scrimmage in 2020. That effort earned him the honor as 2020’s AP Offensive Player of the Year.

With Henry back healthy, he’ll be back shouldering the load for the Titans this fall. Questions surrounding Ryan Tannehill as well as Tennessee’s receiving corp leaves the answer to the Titan’s success likely in Henry’s hands. His usual numbers along with sustaining Tennessee’s success in the AFC would justify him in the conversation at the end of the season.

“He led the league with 117.1 rushing yards per game, becoming just the third player in NFL history to lead the league in rush yards per game and carries per game for three straight seasons,” Patra said. That’s all to say, expect The King, who’s healthy and motivated, to get a hefty workload again. With the Titans’ receiver corps in flux, leaning on Henry will be even more vital in 2022. A repeat performance of his 2K 2020 season would make him a worthy MVP candidate.”

The Titans will expect a lot from Derrick Henry coming off injury. A fully healthy version of him remains one of the most transcendent, yet terrifying, players in the league. Henry will hit the ground running in Music City starting September 11th against the New York Giants.