While Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon said pending free agent Derrick Henry’s tenure with the club hasn’t necessarily come to an end, the veteran running back all but admitted he won’t be back in 2024 when he grabbed a microphone after the Titans’ season-ending win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and thanked Tennessee’s fans for the “greatest eight years of (his) life.”
Where are Henry’s best landing spots around the NFL? Let’s run through the league and determine the top fits for the 30-year-old back.
Top 2024 Landing Spots for Derrick Henry
Appearing on the Bussin’ with Boys podcast on Wednesday, Henry indicated he’s not “even close to done playing” and suggested he wants to sign with a contender next season. Henry, a prominent name in the 2023 trade deadline rumor mill, revealed that he was nearly dealt to an eventual playoff club last October.
Henry will hardly be the only high-end RB available on the open market, as he’ll need to compete for a contract with Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Austin Ekeler, D’Andre Swift, and others. Where should Henry sign in 2024?
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys released Ezekiel Elliott and franchise-tagged Pollard heading into last season, allowing the younger back to become the club’s top option. While Pollard’s success rate improved year over year, his yards per carry dipped from 5.2 in 2022 to 4.0 in 2023.
Pollard will become an unrestricted free agent unless Dallas opts to tender him again, so the Cowboys will likely be looking for RB help.
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Rico Dowdle flashed in his limited opportunities last season, and Dallas invested a fifth-round pick in Deuce Vaughn in the 2023 draft. But it’s unclear if the Cowboys’ decision-makers — whomever that may be next year — view either player as a starting-caliber back.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, so Henry would fit right in. After working behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines for several seasons, Henry might find bigger holes behind a Dallas front five that finished sixth in PFN’s final offensive line rankings.
Buffalo Bills
Few running backs produced more significant breakout campaigns in 2023 than James Cook. The former second-round pick earned his first Pro Bowl nod after topping 1,100 yards on the ground while adding 44 catches in the receiving game.
Cook became a more complete player in his second NFL campaign, but the Bills might still be searching for a power back.
Buffalo signed free agents Damien Harris and Latavius Murray heading into this year, hoping their 210-pound frames would complement Cook’s agility and quickness. Harris suffered a scary neck injury, which could put his pro future in question, while Murray will turn 35 years old on Thursday.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens expected to roll with J.K. Dobbins as their primary RB in 2023, but he went down with an Achilles injury in Week 1 and is now a pending free agent. Meanwhile, dynamic undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell put up 8.4 yards per attempt on 47 carries before tearing his ACL in Week 15.
Baltimore made it through the season with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, but it will have to explore its options this spring. Edwards is headed towards free agency, too, leaving Mitchell and Hill as the only backs on the roster.
Henry was heavily linked to the Ravens before last year’s trade deadline. Playing with Lamar Jackson and Co. would undoubtedly give The King a chance at a Super Bowl in 2024.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon accepted a pay cut to remain with the Bengals this past season, but he seems unlikely to take another earnings reduction if asked.
If Cincinnati cuts Mixon, it will need to add a back to split playing time with 2023 fourth-rounder Chase Brown, who showed off his speed and explosiveness — especially in the screen game — during his rookie campaign.
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Joe Burrow might be fully healthy by OTAs after undergoing wrist surgery in November, while the Bengals could keep most of their offensive core together by franchising WR Tee Higgins. Cincinnati will be gearing up for a Super Bowl run after missing out on the playoffs this year, and Henry could be a piece of its puzzle.
Houston Texans
The Texans ranked 29th in rushing efficiency last season, and second-year RB Dameon Pierce was the primary culprit in their struggles. Pierce finished with the NFL’s worst success rate (37.9%) on the ground, averaged just 2.9 yards per carry, and eventually lost Houston’s starting RB job to veteran Devin Singletary.
Singletary is a pending free agent, so he’s not a lock to return in 2024. Henry has spent his entire career in the AFC South and routinely dominated the Texans, at one point posting four consecutive 200-yard games from 2019-21.
Houston knows the type of player it would be getting.
Green Bay Packers
The Texans’ upstart NFC counterpart, the Packers, didn’t have the same running game issues that Houston dealt with this season. Despite working through injuries to Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, Green Bay still finished eighth in yards per carry and 10th in EPA per rush.
But the Packers may have to start fresh in 2024. Jones has an untenable $17 million cap charge and will likely be released if he won’t take a pay cut. Dillon’s efficiency, meanwhile, has dipped for three straight seasons.
Henry, Jordan Love, and Green Bay’s roster of young pass catchers would give Matt LaFleur plenty of options next season.
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