According To Ian Rappaport We May See Derrick Henry Return Before The Playoffs

Well, well, well what do we have here? Ian Rappaport coming out HOT this morning with a story about how we may see Derrick Henry return to the Titans sooner rather than later. This is why the injury is so tricky, some reporters said it was unlikely he could come back this season, while others said we could see him later in the season. Well it's sounding like we may be a few weeks away from a Tractorcito sighting.

Originally his injury was given a 6-10 week healing period....well the Super Wild Card Weekend would be 11 weeks from the injury, 10 weeks from the injury is the final game of the season vs the Texans. So you're saying there's a chance. It's a little bit of a different situation but the Cowboys' DeMarcus Lawrence suffered the same injury and he missed 10 games. He is still on a limited snap count but the fact that he is on the field contributing is good news for Henry. Could Henry be on that same track? You don't need Henry to get 30 carries the week he's back, ease him in and limit the snaps until you see that he is fully good to go. It would give a nice little boost to a Titans team that desperately needs it, their running game and offense in general hasn't been the same since Henry went down on Halloween. They've treaded water going 2-2 since Henry went down with the broken foot and they're still in the conversation for the top seed in the AFC. Obviously securing that top seed would be ideal because it's just another week for Henry to heal up. 

Now there's no guarantee that he'll be on the field in week 18, but he does have a visit with a doctor next week to see where he's at with his progress. The fact that we could see Henry make his way back sooner rather than later with this devastating injury is nuts, it would mean everything to the Titans if he was able to do it. He'd have fresh legs at the time of the year when you need it most, be in great shape, and he'd complete the offense again for the Titans since AJ Brown will be back at that point too. It's a perfect storm for the Titans. They just need to keep weathering the storm, stay afloat, try and get the 1 seed in the AFC and then it's go time. 

If I'm coach Vrabel I take my time with Henry for sure, he's been known to not pressure players to return from injury too soon which some Titans fans aren't thrilled with. But with Henry you HAVE to make sure he is fully healed and 100% good to go. You can't risk a guy of his size with his speed pushing of that foot and having it break again. That would be catastrophic for Henry and the Titans. That week 18 matchup against the Texans could be a preseason game for Henry, a get right game for him to see where he's at before the playoffs start. I'm very horned up thinking about a fully healthy Titans offense heading into the playoffs. In Henry we trust. 

And just to get in the mood for the game today, here's all 15 touchdowns from Derrick Henry's career vs the Jaguars.

PS. He's still third in the league in rushing yards with 937.