After a historic 2020 season, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is getting some well-deserved respect from Pro Football Focus.
Henry is fresh off a campaign in which he became the eight player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards or more, and his 2,027 yards were the fifth-most in a single season, and he won his second-consecutive rushing crown.
PFF’s Sam Monson crowned Henry as the No. 1 running back in the NFL in his rankings, ahead of 31 other backs that make up the list. Here’s what Monson had to say about Henry:
We debate how much running backs can truly outperform their environment, but nobody has done that more than Henry over the past two seasons. Henry has 2,758 yards after contact since the start of the 2019 season, almost 1,000 more than any other back in that span.
The biggest knock on Henry that has stopped people from naming him as the best running in the league is his lack of involvement in the passing game.
And while there is hope that will change with a new offensive coordinator in Nashville in Todd Downing, chances are Henry will see similar work through the air this coming season.
However, the production Henry lacks as a pass-catcher is more than made up for with his dominance on the ground, which often sees him produce video-game-type numbers that allows him to carry his team unlike any other back in the NFL.
It’s good to see analysts recognizing this fact and rightly placing Henry on his throne as the best running back in football.
