The impact of the Titans losing All-Pro running back Derrick Henry for at least several months cannot be overstated, with conversations with scouts who have advanced the team in recent years anticipating significant issues for Tennessee without their top player for at least several months following foot surgery last week.
Several scouts who have broken down the Titans in recent years expressed their belief that losing Henry could be as devastating to them as losing a top starting quarterback might be for other teams, forcing the team to reinvent itself on the fly and making Tennessee far easier to defend. They anticipate quarterback Ryan Tannehill having a far more difficult time exploiting play action passing -- the hallmark of the Titans' downfield thrust -- and believe the quarterback might have to start running by design more than he has in recent years.
"This guy is a pretty unstoppable back," one scout said. "We're talking an old-school, Jim Brown type. You don't replace him. They can't replace him. This was a dominant, downhill power football team with a unique feature back. That's going to have to change. I think you'll see them incorporate more outside zone and mix and match. I think you'll see even more of those boots for Tannehill and probably more outside runs with him by design. They'll need him to help the run game, there's no doubt about it."
Another scout projected more activation of star receiver AJ Brown on sweeps and quick-pitch plays to try to lift the run game. "Some of those deep shots are going to be screen passes, now," he said. "You don't have to defend them the same way, at all, without Henry."
The overarching reality is that teams can now bracket Brown and sit back in a two-deep safety shell and try to force the Titans to run the ball or revert to more short passes to move the ball downfield, which can lead to more turnovers. The quick strike, explosion play -- which was a constant fear previously on the ground or through the air -- may be much tougher to come by now.
"Does it fundamentally change the way you defend them -- yeah, it does," the first scout said. "You had to play them with an eight-man front with impeccable gap integrity, and they would try to catch you in a base defense front and run the ball with the tight ends and a lead blocker.
"They don't really have anybody who can do what Henry does. I get signing AP (Adrian Peterson), who is an inside power guy. But it's not the same. He's at the end. I don't think that's who they'll be. I think you see more 11 personnel now and they'll try to run against a seven-man box with more screens and horizontal passes."
Henry could easily miss three months recovering from his foot surgery, or more. The Titans are holding out hope of a return by the postseason, but these scouts believe wins could be difficult to come by in the meantime.
