Are the Tennessee Titans embracing a full-on rebuild mode? It’s hard not to look at the recent reports and say anything other than yes. Not only are they expected to release edge rusher Bud Dupree to save $17 million in cap space, but according to Ian Rapoport, Michael David Smith from ProFootballTalk posted an article saying that they’re looking to shop star running back Derrick Henry.
Henry has been the face of the Titans offense since 2018, when he put together his first 1,000-yard rushing season and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. In 2022, Henry rushed for over 1,500 yards on 349 carries (4.4 ypc). He’s also put together 398 receiving yards off 33 receptions (12.1 yards avg)—both new career highs.
Since entering the league in 2016, King Henry has never averaged less than four yards per carry in a season. Even in 2021, when he only played in 8 games due to injury, he put together 937 yards (4.3 ypc).
This would be a financial move. Otherwise, moving on from a player who’s still extremely productive for you would be foolish. Here’s what Smith had to say about the potential cap-saving move:
“Henry is due a base salary of $10.5 million this season, none of which is guaranteed. If the Titans were to trade him, they’d save $6.3 million on their salary cap in 2023.”
The Titans traded away their star receiver, A.J Brown, to the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFL Draft. The compensation they got back was the 18th and 101st overall picks in last year’s draft. The titans used their newly acquired first-round pick on former Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks—who has shown flashes of potential in his rookie season.
Suppose the reports are accurate, and they ultimately shop King Henry out of the AFC South. In that case, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be the undisputed favorites to repeat as the AFC South champions. Colts are still struggling with their QB carousel, and the Texans are still in their rebuilding phase.
A new era certainly is on the horizon in the AFC South. The question now is, who would benefit the most from the services of one of the league’s best pure runners? Bally Sports first reported this.
