Derrick Henry must be observed to be fully appreciated. Statistics cannot encapsulate their combination of size, speed and strength. It is no exaggeration to say that it is unique.
And yet, in 2020, their numbers were also.
No player in NFL history has run for so many yards (2,027) and touchdowns (17) in the same season. The Tennessee Titans’ running back produced the eighth 2,000 yard campaign of all time, and the fifth highest total.
All of this resulted in Henry being named 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, as announced during Saturday. NFL Honors ceremony.
The 6-foot-3, 247-pound brute dominated from start to finish, running 116 yards in Week 1 and 250 in Week 17 to break the 2K barrier. He had eight more 100-yard performances between them, while averaging just over a touchdown per game. His final count made him only the fourth RB to run for 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in consecutive seasons.
Such production was nothing new for Henry before joining the league in 2016. After all, the Heisman winner had passed 2,000 yards in college and high school. But his rise to the best running back in football was unpredictable. He gained just 1,234 yards in his first two seasons by sharing time with DeMarco Murray. Henry’s escape can be traced back to an unforgettable 99-yard crash against the Jaguars at the end of his third year. He has been a workhorse ever since and breaking the law of diminishing returns in the process.
His fifth season in the NFL was an ode to football in the old days. Henry’s 378 attempts were the highest number in six seasons. But its volume was not in vain. He averaged 5.4 yards per load, his career record, while only becoming the third to accumulate 1,650 run yards in the past decade. He also tied, broke and zeroed the league record for 200-yard games and two career TDs. The previous mark was three. Henry did this three times in 12 weeks.
Tennessee rode that train for his best record (11-5) and first AFC South title in 12 years.
In a time when the value of running back has been reduced by offenses based on increasingly efficient passes, few players in any position are more valuable than Henry. Last year, its production was titanic.