The Tennessee Titans worse nightmare has been confirmed with the news that Derrick Henry will be out six to ten weeks due to a foot injury that requires surgery. With this unexpected curveball, it didn’t take the Titans long to fill their need in the backfield with All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson signing on as the Titans interim solution.
The signing comes after Adrian Peterson worked out for the team on Monday. Peterson is 36 years old but still has some gas left in the tank. His running style is similar to Henry’s but not as debilitating.
Last year with the Detroit Lions, Peterson rushed 604 yards and seven touchdowns. Prior to that, during his 2018 season in Washington, Peterson rushed for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns.
Although Peterson is viable option, the loss of Henry still changes the identity of the Titans. Sitting at 6-2, they can still be productive on the ground but their offense will have to be a lot more creative.
Henry’s presence forced opponents to pick their poison. This provided some relief for quarterback Ryan Tannehill and opened up opportunities downfield.
“I know that he’ll [Derrick Henry] be around our team as soon as he can. I know that’s important to him,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “I know that’ll be important to our team. We will have to move on. We’ll have to move on, unfortunately, without him here in the short term and not look back.”
It will be interesting to see how the offense adjusts without their monstrous offensive weapon. In the meantime, Peterson is back on a NFL team and there is no doubt he will be a positive contributor.