Colts' Darius Leonard says he thinks about Titans' Derrick Henry during offseason workouts

Henry gives Leonard motivation to get better

Indianapolis Colts defender Darius Leonard is one of the best linebackers in the NFL. The second-round pick out of South Carolina State made an immediate impact in his first season, winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and has been named an All-Pro in three out of four seasons played. The 26-year-old is a legitimate star, and he uses another NFL star as his motivation to get better.

When Leonard is training in the offseason, there's one player he has on his mind: rival Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry. 

"In the offseason, I think about him," Leonard told Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official website. "When I am working out, (I think): 'What drills am I going to do to make be better to face Derrick Henry, one of the best backs in the league?' I always joke and say he is like a defensive end playing running back. He is a workhorse, and you can see it in the offseason, and you can see it in the fourth quarter. When things get tough, he is breaking a run for 70 yards, and that just goes to show you what type of player he is. It is amazing competing against Derrick."

Henry is an imposing ball-carrier at 6-foot-3, 247 pounds, but he's also a speedster who can outrun you once he gets to that second level. In 2021, Henry became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. This past year, Henry rushed for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns in just eight games played before a foot injury suffered on Halloween against the Colts knocked him out for the remainder of the regular season. He was on track to record 1,991 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. 

Leonard and the Colts are forced to play Henry twice a year as AFC South rivals, and they actually have been able to limit Henry more than the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans have. In 12 career games played vs. the Colts, Henry is averaging 87.1 rushing yards per game and 0.5 rushing touchdowns per game. To put that into perspective, Henry averages 103.9 rushing yards per game against the Jaguars, and 103.5 rushing yards per game against the Texans.

Darius Leonard vs. Derrick Henry is a legitimate rivalry. Two elite competitors who are forced to face off twice a year. 

"That is cool, for him to think that way about me," Henry said. "I definitely respect his game, and the type of player he is. You always have to account for him a lot. We play Indy a few times a year. The type of player he is, he is always around the ball, trying to get the ball out. He intercepts the ball, and he makes a bunch of tackles. He is a force to be reckoned with, one of the best defensive players in the league."