The Tennessee Titans have some impressive weapons at quarterback and wide receiver, including a shiny new toy in superstar wideout Julio Jones, but former NFL defensive end and ESPN analyst Marcus Spears rightly believes running back Derrick Henry is still the No. 1 priority for opposing defenses.
“Every time a defensive team goes to play the Tennessee Titans the number one thing they have to stop is Derrick Henry… It ain’t nobody else,” Spears proclaimed.
We’re not sure anyone was ever arguing otherwise, but rather how difficult it would be for opposing defenses to focus attention on stopping Henry while also having enough help in the secondary to cover Jones and A.J. Brown.
Spears goes into detail about how much of an impact Henry has during any given game, both with and without the ball in his hands.
The Alabama product is obviously a sensational runner, but the mere threat of him toting the rock forces opposing defenses to bring extra help upfront, which helps setup the passing attack, especially via play-action.
"EVERY TIME a defensive team goes to play the Tennessee Titans the number one thing they have to stop is Derrick Henry… It ain't nobody else!"@mspears96 isn't worried about anyone else when Derrick Henry is on the field. pic.twitter.com/UpvBAH9oAr
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 14, 2021
Make no mistake about it: Henry remains the focal point of the Titans’ offense and the No. 1 priority for opposing defenses, it’s just going to be more difficult to send extra help now that Jones is in the mix.
