Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry started 2018 off slowly, but was able to turn it into a 1,000-yard rushing season by the end of Week 17.
Henry initially fell behind former New England Patriots rusher Dion Lewis, but ended up more than doubling his teammate’s numbers on the season. Lewis finished with 517 total yards rushing, while Henry accounted for 1,059 yards on the ground.
The Titans are looking for continuity to build upon their recent triumphs on offense, with the promotion of former tight ends coach Arthur Smith to offensive coordinator at the heart of that effort.
Smith made it clear he wanted to make Henry the key player in the team’s ground game moving forward.
“Derrick will be a big part of the offense,” Smith said when he met with the media Tuesday. “He has a rare skill set. Derrick’s a home-run hitter. We are taking another step hopefully with him. What he did over the last five weeks will open up a lot of things.”
Smith elaborated upon his plans, saying the Titans will place emphasis on zone, but will also be focused on incorporating Henry and Lewis as a part of an aggressive rushing attack.
“Zone (run scheme) is a great starting point for us, but there are a lot of schemes that fit Derrick and fit Dion [Lewis], or whoever else will be on our roster that we will hand the ball [to]. Gaps, pin and pulls, zone reads, but there’s a certain mentality that we want to play with coming off the football. We want to be physical and knock people back.”
If Smith can help Henry continue to capitalize on his recent successes, the Titans should be a major force on offense in the AFC next season.
