Titans’ Derrick Henry named the favorite to break single-season rushing record

With a 17th game being added to the NFL schedule in 2021, there is likely to be records broken next season and/or in the years to come — and one of those could be the single-season rushing record.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry flirted with the all-time mark in 2020, totaling 2,027 yards, falling just 78 yards shy of the record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984 (2,105).

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell isn’t calling Henry a lock to break Dickerson’s record this coming season, but he does consider the Titans star “way ahead of the pack” in terms of running backs who could do so in 2021.

Can Henry elevate his game even further and get to 2,106? It’ll be tough. We don’t have evidence suggesting backs can sustain that sort of workload in the modern NFL beyond Henry himself. The Titans might have hedged their bets a bit by trading for Julio Jones, a move which would seemingly push Tennessee toward more of a pass-happy attack. Corey Davis attracted 95 targets in 14 games last season, but a healthy Jones would expect to see the ball more frequently.

It’s more likely that Henry finishes below 300 carries in 2021 than it is that he sees something north of 350 again, but even with that feeling, he’s still way ahead of the pack here.

There are several things working in Henry’s favor when it comes to his chances of setting the all-time record.

The Alabama product is one of the most dominant players in the NFL and is capable of posting video game-type numbers any given week. Henry also typically sees a heavy workload, as evidenced by his leading the NFL in carries the past two seasons.

Henry also runs behind a great offensive line that is returning four of five starters, including left tackle Taylor Lewan, who missed the majority of Henry’s 2,000-yard season due to a torn ACL, and the addition of wide receiver Julio Jones could lead to less stacked boxes and more room to run.

However, the argument can also be made that the addition of Jones could hurt his chances, as Tennessee might not have to lean on the rushing attack as much, limiting his opportunities.

Regardless of how you feel about Henry’s chances for this coming season, he has the absolute best shot to become the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards twice and break the single-season record.