The Tennessee Titans could be preparing for life after superstar running back Derrick Henry as the Alabama product begins approaching the age of 30. At the very least, the Titans are hoping to take pressure off him.
Due to the wear and tear that running backs sustain, especially in the case of workhorses like Henry, history has revealed a massive drop-off in production once a tailback reaches the aforementioned magic number.
As such, the Titans selected Michigan running back Hassan Haskins in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Haskins could be the heir-apparent to Henry, but for now he’ll be tasked with helping to lessen Henry’s workload.
According to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, Haskins is the Titans rookie to keep an eye on coming out of OTAs.
Henry missed the last nine games of the 2021 season with a foot injury. In the eight games preceding the injury, he racked up a career-high 27.4 carries per game.
Continuing to give Henry that kind of usage is playing with fire. The Titans’ decision to spend a fourth-round pick on Hassan Haskins suggests they realize that.
Henry, who has the most rushing yards of any running back in the National Football League since 2017, was able to return from a foot injury in 2021 in time for the playoffs and is expected to be 100 percent for Week 1 of 2022.
The former Heisman winner racked up back-to-back 300-plus carry seasons in 2019 (303) and 2020 (378). And, if not for the foot injury that prematurely ended his 2021 regular season, Henry was on pace to shatter those marks.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Titans use Haskins in his rookie campaign. We know he’ll likely spell Henry and take some carries off The King’s very full plate, but will Haskins be able to garner enough trust to see action on third downs as a blocker and pass-catcher, also?
That remains to be seen, but if all goes well and Haskins is able to prove he belongs, he could have a fairly significant role that helps extend Henry’s career, and he’d give Tennessee an insurance policy and a potential long-term solution at the position, also.
