Earlier in the week, I said I didn’t foresee any sort of legitimate running back controversy in Nashville, but the stellar play of Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray’s lingering hamstring issue could leave the Tennessee Titans with no choice.
With the stifling Seattle Seahawks defense coming to town on Sunday, head coach Mike Mularkey would undoubtedly like to have both of these guys. The Seahawks have only allowed 13 points per game so far in the young season. The more playmakers you can put on the field, the more likely you are to score (breaking news), but with this Titans running game, it’s more about keeping your two feature backs fresh to punish a defense in the fourth quarter.
But, at this point, Murray is still day-to-day. There doesn’t appear to be a tear of any sort on Murray’s hamstring. But, what’s concerning is how long he’s been struggling with this injury. Pair that with how well Henry ran against a talented Jacksonville Jaguars defense and it may be time to make the change. Murray is still technically the starter atop the depth chart. But, those days could be coming to an end.
So far, Henry has 20 carries and Murray has 21 carries on the season. With those carries, however, is where the two visibly differ. Henry has amassed 117 yards, good for 5.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Murray has totaled just 69 yards, which equates to 3.3 yards per carry. Murray has also yet to find the end zone, while Henry has. But, it’s not just what the numbers do and don’t tell us.
Henry just flat out looks better than he did a season ago. He’s always run with authority, but this season, he’s shown improvement in his patience and vision. Plus, the dude packs a hell of a stiff arm. Just ask Jalen Ramsey what it feels like to find yourself one-on-one with Henry. It’s like trying to tackle a tractor. It’s also like that tractor is moving at 20MPH.
The second-year back is making a case for more playing time. Last year, the call for more Henry felt like it was coming just from that small segment of fans who are both Titans and Crimson Tide fans. This year, Henry’s play warrants the call. Henry hasn’t been the featured back in either of his two seasons so far, but it could happen if things keep up at this rate.
What can the former Heisman winning running back do with a full NFL workload? We may find out sooner rather than later.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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