Texans A Fit for Titans Free Agent Star Derrick Henry?
The Houston Texans have the unique opportunity to capitalize on the rookie contract of a star quarterback. How well they do so could determine their fate as contenders in the gauntlet that is the AFC.
For all of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s successes in 2023, the run game was not one of them, especially in the first half of the season. Houston finished 26th in rushing expected points added per play and 27th in success rate.
Running back Devin Singletary came on strong at the end of the year, but he’s a pending free agent, opening the door for the Texans to add to – or replace – him in the coming months. Could Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry be an option?
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Houston Texans linebacker Christian Harris (48) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK
According to Marcus Mosher, Houston is one of the five best fits for the two-time rushing champion.
“This makes a ton of sense for the Texans because a dominant ground attack is the only thing this team is missing from making a deep run into the playoffs …” Mosher wrote. “Singletary is a good player, but his lack of size and power showed up against better defenses this season.”
Singletary had a career year on the back of his vision, technique, and contact balance, but his skill set offers few avenues to big plays. Even after a season that saw him rush for 898 yards and four scores, the Texans lack an imposing ground game that strikes fear in opposing defenses.
As much as it’s a passing league, playoff runs are hard to come by without a rushing offense that can grind out short yardage and control time of possession.
Henry is coming off of the worst season of his career by yards per attempt (4.16) and posted 68.6 yards per game, his fewest since 2018. Yet, few are tougher to tackle when he gets his momentum behind him. As Mosher notes, that may be difficult to come by in a wide-zone offense, but there are enough quality looks to give him.
Adding Henry to a committee, potentially like Tennessee did with a smaller pass-catching back in Tyjae Spears, could give Houston a complementary backfield it lacked between Singletary’s limitations and Dameon Pierce’s season-long struggles.
With a projected contract of $10 million per year for two seasons (via Pro Football Focus), the Texans have the cash to splurge, even if it happens to be on a position of lower value. Welcoming Henry to Houston eliminates the threat he’d pose while offering a surefire boost in the red zone.
Taking the ball out of quarterback C.J. Stroud’s hands isn’t a priority, but making sure he isn’t asked to carry too much of the load should be, and a Henry signing would help that cause.
