AFC South RB rankings: Where does Travis Etienne land?

No. 1 running back in the AFC South: Derrick Henry, Tennesse Titans

Titans running back Derrick Henry logged more than 2,000 rushing yards in 2020 and he was having a dominant season in 2021 before suffering a bone fracture that forced him to miss nine games. The player known as The King managed to return to the playoffs but he wasn’t his usual self, racking up 62 yards on 20 carries. Looking back, it’s fair to wonder if he was 100 percent healthy.

Henry has had months to make a full recovery and he will try to reclaim his title as the No. 1 running back in the NFL in 2022. If last year was an outlier and not the start of a trend, he should have a realistic chance. In fact, executives and coaches, and coaches think he’s still the best in spite of Jonathan Taylor’s ascension in 2021.

One NFL executive doesn’t think Henry will disappoint and says that he would still give him 30 carries per game in 2022. One thing working in Henry’s favor is that he had a light workload early in his pro career. During his first two seasons, he was the second running back on the Titans’ depth chart behind DeMarco Murray and it wasn’t until 2018 that Tennesee unleashed him.

Henry has gotten 1,021 carries over the last three years (including playoffs), so it’s fair to wonder how his body will hold up in 2022. If he doesn’t show signs of wear and tear, he will still be the cream of the crop in the AFC South.