Nashville's local news and NPR station

Titans’ Derrick Henry — 5 Reasons He’s Now A National Star

Derrick Henry Tennessee Titans
Donald PageTennessee Titans
Titans running back Derrick Henry won this year's NFL rushing title with his big game Dec. 29 against the Houston Texans.
Share:

On an underdog Tennessee Titans team, a superstar has emerged. 

His name, if you’ve somehow missed it, is Derrick Henry. 

He’s the one catching big attention for the designer clothes he wears to the stadium. The one with the thick dreadlocks — which his helmet cannot contain. The one whose eye black paint got smeared all over his victorious coach. 

King Henry, as he’s become known. He’s a bona fide star who is steadily accumulating accolades. And they’re beginning to sound like a real-life football version of Chuck Norris Facts. The hosts on the NFL Network’s, “Good Morning Football,” to say it mildly, are enthused:

So here’s a breakdown of five ways — from foot speed to viral hairstyles — that Henry is becoming a household name. 

1) He’s Been Unstoppable 

There’s good, and then there’s all-time best status. Henry’s name is already associated with a few unprecedented feats. 

As a high school running back, he broke the nation’s 51-year-old record for total yards with 12,124. To commemorate him, Yulee High School retired Henry’s jersey number — 2. 

Then Henry won the 2015 Heisman Trophy as college football’s best player. For that, his hometown added his name to their city’s welcome sign. 

This season, his fourth as a pro, Henry ran more yards than any other running back to win the rushing award. 

Gather it all together, and Henry’s abilities have never really been in doubt. Still, he’s peaking as the Titans make their playoff run.

Sports analytics website FiveThirtyEight says Henry is on an all-time hot streak in his last three games. He’s run for at least 140 yards and scored a touchdown in each, becoming just the seventh running back to do so. 

If there’s one thing nobody saw coming, it was Derrick Henry throwing a pass. But he tossed a trick play touchdown during the Titans upset win over the Baltimore Ravens last week. 

2) He’s As Fast As He Is Big 

Analysts are quick to tell you this about Henry: he’s unusually big for a running back in today’s NFL. Yet he’s also frighteningly fast for a guy listed at 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds. 

FiveThirtyEight says Henry is bucking the idea that tall runners are easier to topple. And he is already the all-time leader for running yards in a single season among players of his size. 

So how fast? Henry has a unique running style — more on that below — and it is effective. He’s shown flashes of being among the fastest in the NFL, like in 2018, when he hit 21.74 mph. 

And it’s not just your eyes telling you that Henry’s running style stands out. WPLN spoke to running expert Robbie Cochrum, a former track coach who teaches in the sport sciences department at Tennessee State University.

“He’s not just fast. He’s not just big. He’s a combination of both,” Cochrum said.

He says Henry’s track-and-field background shows through, because he runs with a more upright and rigid posture. But what’s surprising is that Henry has a shorter stride than most big men, and that his knees don’t rise as high as most sprinters. This could be making him harder to tackle.

“How he came about having that stride, I don’t know,” Cochrum said. “It could be a product of his upper body being bigger, and him having to counteract that, so he keeps his knees low. … For most people, it wouldn’t quite work out that well.”

Altogether, the most important fact might be this: Henry has elite acceleration as he starts to run, as documented by an episode of ESPN’s Sport Science.

“To accelerate, it usually takes guys his size a little longer,” Cochrum said. “He gets going right away. … That’s really the key.”

3) Henry Arrives In Style 

To reach full star potential, Henry is also grabbing attention off the field — or at least on his way to and from the locker room.

Henry has a knack for being photographed in his designer outfits — see flamboyant examples here, here, here and here. He proudly posts on Twitter and Instagram (where he has more than a million followers).

The Titans tell WPLN that Henry picks all his own outfits and doesn’t work with a stylist, but he is quick to tag designers and companies online.

And then there’s Henry’s long dreadlocks, which the teams says he’s been growing out since elementary school. 

Henry — helmet off — is photographed after the Titans win over the Baltimore Ravens. Photo by Donald Page / Tennessee Titans.

When Henry was a University of Alabama star, fans did their own imitations of Henry’s hair. And people on social media noticed when he unleashed an updo while watching the 2017 national championship. 

4) He Maintains A Mystique 

Yet other details are elusive. 

Take Henry’s style of painting on his eye black. In recent games, he’s painted on a single thick cross — or is it a ‘T,’ or a plus sign? — beneath one eye. It’s a choice a few other players have made too, but there’s handy explanation for the style. 

The team says Henry’s faith is important to him but didn’t share details on his eye black choices. 

And to follow Henry on social media is to glimpse many layers of college and pro football cliques — with a heaping of slang, inside jokes that leave fans wanting more. 

5) He’s About To Get Paid 

What does Henry’s future hold? Likely a lot more money. 

As a young player still on his four-year rookie contract, Henry isn’t among the top 10 earners on the Titans. But he’ll be up for a negotiation after this tremendous season. 

As The Tennessean points out, NFL teams tend to be cautious about paying running backs, who often burn out from the punishing position.

But Henry, perhaps, has shown that he isn’t like the others carrying the ball.

on-air light On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM