So there's a rumor floating around that has Derrick Henry being traded from the Titans to the Eagles. Crazy rumors floating about just before the NFL Draft are pretty common, but there are elements that make this one believable. These teams swung a trade involving A.J. Brown, after all, just a year ago.
There's also the fact that there have been rumors out there for a while of Tennessee being interested in trading Henry. The team looks like it's going to be bad this year, based on offseason losses and the way it faded at the end of last season, so it would make sense to get something for Henry (who currently counts $16 million against Tennessee's cap).
The Eagles let Miles Sanders go in free agency, and signed only Rashaad Penny to a minimum type deal. Penny is a very capable lead running back, when healthy, but he's had a hard time staying that way, accounting for his small contract. The Eagles will definitely add someone else at the position, and there aren't many backs better than Henry. He's 29 years old and won't have a lot of years left, but hasn't exactly shown any signs of decline (he rushed for 1,538 yards and set career highs in receiving last year).
Henry to the Eagles might worry some considering the team has one of the league's most productive running quarterbacks. Especially in terms of touchdowns, with Jalen Hurts running in 13 a year ago. But even if you remove non-running backs from the equation, a move to Philadelphia could be a boon to Henry's value .
A year ago Philadelphia running backs rushed for 1,745 yards, which was 10th in the league (just behind Tennessee, which was 8th with 1,813). Eagles runners also punched in 18 rushing touchdowns. That was 3rd in the NFL, behind only Detroit and Dallas, and 3 more than any other team. Tennesse scored 13, all by Henry.
| TEAM RUSHING (RUNNING BACKS ONLY), 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Detroit | 427 | 1884 | 4.41 | 23 |
| Dallas | 462 | 2044 | 4.42 | 22 |
| Philadelphia | 368 | 1745 | 4.74 | 18 |
| Cleveland | 438 | 2018 | 4.61 | 15 |
| Minnesota | 357 | 1497 | 4.19 | 15 |
| LA Chargers | 344 | 1376 | 4.00 | 15 |
| Atlanta | 455 | 2209 | 4.85 | 13 |
| San Francisco | 392 | 1902 | 4.85 | 13 |
| Tennessee | 410 | 1813 | 4.42 | 13 |
| Carolina | 415 | 1893 | 4.56 | 12 |
| Las Vegas | 378 | 1809 | 4.79 | 12 |
| NY Giants | 380 | 1673 | 4.40 | 12 |
| Arizona | 316 | 1298 | 4.11 | 12 |
| Jacksonville | 359 | 1701 | 4.74 | 11 |
| Seattle | 351 | 1679 | 4.78 | 11 |
| LA Rams | 320 | 1310 | 4.09 | 11 |
| New England | 354 | 1663 | 4.70 | 10 |
| Pittsburgh | 384 | 1554 | 4.05 | 10 |
| Miami | 335 | 1501 | 4.48 | 10 |
| Kansas City | 335 | 1500 | 4.48 | 10 |
| Green Bay | 410 | 1929 | 4.70 | 9 |
| Baltimore | 352 | 1731 | 4.92 | 9 |
| Chicago | 368 | 1650 | 4.48 | 9 |
| NY Jets | 338 | 1410 | 4.17 | 9 |
| Cincinnati | 311 | 1238 | 3.98 | 9 |
| Denver | 367 | 1540 | 4.20 | 8 |
| Indianapolis | 382 | 1605 | 4.20 | 7 |
| Buffalo | 291 | 1418 | 4.87 | 7 |
| Washington | 433 | 1676 | 3.87 | 5 |
| Houston | 332 | 1260 | 3.80 | 5 |
| New Orleans | 330 | 1280 | 3.88 | 4 |
| Tampa Bay | 343 | 1230 | 3.59 | 4 |
Maybe this is the kind of deal that happens during the draft, depending on which players are available when involved picks come up, or what teams do and don't get from their own picks. Or maybe it's just a rumor that won't come to pass.
But Henry joining the NFC's best team would be pretty interesting. I think worries about him losing touchdowns to his quarterback would be overshadowed by being on a much better roster, on a team that will win a lot more games and score a lot more touchdowns.
--Andy Richardson