Tennessee Titans: Analytics prove Derrick Henry is elite

Derrick Henry won the rushing title last season, and the Tennessee Titans’ running back also impressed on the NFL All-Analytics Team.

Derrick Henry led the Tennessee Titans’ offense last season and was a big reason why the offense was so successful, both on the ground and through the air. Without Henry’s rushing success, who knows if Ryan Tannehill would’ve been as successful as he was.

Henry not only led the Titans offense last season, but he also leads the NFL in rushing with 1,540 rushing yards and tied for the most rushing touchdowns with 16.

Most would tell you that they weren’t surprised when Henry proved to be a leader on the Titans’ offense and that his age will not be an issue, and he will continue to be the running back he was in 2019 for at least the next few years.

I don’t think Henry is going to fall off anytime soon, and he will continue to be one of the best rushers in the league and remain near the top of the leaderboard for most rushing yards in a season, and the analytics prove that.

NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund put together an All-Analytics Team for the best NFL players according to the analytics, and not only did Henry make the list, but he’s one of the best players on the list.

"“There is a lot of value in earning a new first down on first down, and no player earned more such rushing first downs in 2019 than Henry, who had 31,” she wrote. “He also added nine rushing touchdowns on first down (second-most in the NFL) and one more via the pass. Pro Football Focus measured his after-contact yards per rush at 4.2 (the best in the NFL among those with a minimum of 100 rushes, including playoffs), which helps characterize just how much value Henry added to the Titans’ offense. And that’s before factoring in the impact he had on the rest of the offense via the threat of his production.”"

If you didn’t understand how valuable Henry is to the Titans’ offense, then I hope the analytics help understand that he’s not any other running back. When you need a first down, put Henry in, if you want to ground and pound your way to the endzone, Henry is perfect for that, and if you need someone to get into the endzone in the red zone, then Henry can get you six points.

If Henry can bring the same level of production and success in 2020, then there’s no doubt that we could see the Titans back in the AFC Championship next season.