Derrick Henry Trade: Landing Spots That Make Sense For Titans Star

It’s not often you see big names traded at the NFL deadline, and it’s very rare that a Hall of Famer is shipped out. Could the Tennessee Titans buck that longstanding trend with Derrick Henry?

The Titans host the Atlanta Falcons in a seemingly “meh” Week 8 game this Sunday. However, it will be very interesting to see how Tennessee uses Henry in the final game before the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.

There’s no tangible reporting that says a move is imminent or even on the table. However, the Titans already traded star cornerback Kevin Byard to the Eagles. Tennessee doesn’t look poised for a playoff spot let alone a deep postseason run, so it might make sense to sell off pieces before Tuesday.

While Henry might no longer be the perennial Offensive Player of the Year contender he was just a few years ago, he could still be a real difference-maker for some of the NFL’s best teams.

On this week’s episode of “The Spread,” NESN.com’s football picks podcast, NESN.com’s Ricky Doyle wondered whether the Titans might be willing to trade the superstar running back to the Baltimore Ravens where he could team up with Lamar Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr. and Mark Andrews.

Here are a few other potential landing spots that could make sense if Tennessee wants to trade Henry before Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

DALLAS COWBOYS
This depends on how Dallas feels about Tony Pollard as its No. 1 running back. FOX Sports’ Collin Cowherd on Friday argued Pollard isn’t the sort of running back the Cowboys can feel great about. He believes adding someone like Henry could help Dallas win the possession game against other NFC contenders like San Francisco and Philadelphia. It’s not like the Cowboys haven’t made a deadline splash before. They traded three draft picks for receiver Roy Williams in 2008.

BUFFALO BILLS
If the Bills feel like this season is starting to slip away, they could certainly push in some chips to bolster their running back room. The Bills have James Cook and Latavius Murray, a perfectly mediocre duo, atop the depth chart. Adding Henry, however, would be an instant upgrade, and he’d be a perfect fit for that team when the weather gets really bad in Orchard Park.

MIAMI DOLPHINS
Some offshore sportsbooks have the Dolphins listed pretty high among the favorites. Miami has certainly been aggressive at the deadline in recent years, and it has proved in and out of season that it’s not afraid to trade draft capital for established players. They have a lot of talent in the backfield with Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, but Mostert is banged up and Achane is on injured reserve. It would be a rich-get-richer situation, but the idea of a thunder-and-lightning combination with Henry and Achane might be tantalizing for offensive mastermind Mike McDaniel.

CINCINNATI BENGALS
The Bengals already have Joe Mixon, but trading for Henry would send quite a message. Cincinnati has stumbled out of the blocks, but it just needs to make the playoffs, as Joe Burrow has proved over and over he can win on the road in January. Not only would landing Henry keep the back away from division rival Baltimore (not to mention potentially Pittsburgh, too), but it could be the shot in the arm that offense dearly needs after a slow start.

GREEN BAY PACKERS
This one’s a bit of a reach, as it makes more sense for the Packers to sell than it does to buy. That being said, the NFC is wide open. Green Bay hosts Minnesota on Sunday, a game between two average-at-best teams. However, a win over the Vikings could get Green Bay back on track to where it believes a playoff berth is possible. Aaron Jones has a nagging hamstring injury, and A.J. Dillon hasn’t impressed with an increased workload. Matt LaFleur knows Henry from his own Tennessee days, so it wouldn’t be a massive surprise — especially considering Green Bay’s reported interest in Jonathan Taylor earlier this year.