Running back Derrick Henry has led the NFL in rushing attempts four times and in yards and touchdown carries twice apiece since entering the league in 2016.
Put this in the department of, “It Probably Won’t Happen But It Would Sure Be Beneficial.” The Bills should pursue free agent running back Derrick Henry.
The Bills should prioritize finding a power running back to take some of the short-yardage/goal-line burden off quarterback Josh Allen, but can also be an everyday option to sub in for James Cook.
Henry, 30, will be a free agent next week for the first time since entering the NFL as a second-round pick with Tennessee in 2016. During that span, he leads the league in rushing attempts (2,065), yards (9,502) and touchdowns (90) and is third in yards per game (79.8) and sixth in yards per carry (4.7).
It is time for Henry to equal parts shift into another chapter and go for a championship. That desire plus the Bills’ need equals a good match for the Yulee Bulldozer, the nickname I helped give him as a high school senior in Yulee, Fla., in 2012.
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Henry led the NFL with 280 carries last year, but his 4.2-yard average was tied for the lowest of his eight-year career. But at a listed 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, he remains difficult to bring down.
“You can’t let him get rolling because once he gets rolling, he’s a load,” then-Miami defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said before the Titans-Dolphins game last December. “That’s why he’s probably headed to the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame as a running back.”
Now for the tough part: The money. Henry has made nearly $57 million in his career and a team with cap space may splurge and offer him too much cash to turn down. But the market favors the Bills.
Thirteen free agent running backs played at least 41.7% of their teams’ offensive snaps last year, and only Henry is at least 30 years old. Dallas’ Tony Pollard, the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley, Las Vegas’ Josh Jacobs, Houston’s Devin Singletary, Philadelphia’s D’Andre Swift and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Austin Ekeler lead the list with Henry.
A lot of backs is good for teams and bad for the backs. Could the Bills secure Henry for something in the range of $4 million that could turn into more based on incentives?
Henry would be an upgrade as the No. 2 to Cook – the Bills used Damien Harris, Latavius Murray and Ty Johnson last year in that role. Harris sustained a season-ending concussion in Week 4, and Murray and Johnson are free agents.
The Bills should consider Henry because it would take physical stress off Allen.
Goal-line: Allen had 18 rushing touchdowns in 19 games last year; nine measured 3 or fewer yards and 12 measured 1-9 yards. Among Henry’s 12 touchdowns last year, five were from 1-2 yards out and apiece from 3 and 5 yards.
Short-yardage: Allen was 18 of 20 last year on third-and-1 and Henry was 4 of 4. In his new role, Henry would become a new option on third-and-short instead of Allen risking injury with the tush push.
In the Titans’ season-ending win over Jacksonville, Henry not only waved to the crowd before leaving the field, he took the microphone to deliver a closing address. That is a player who knows he is moving on. His move should be to Buffalo.