While the Tennessee Titans had no shortage of issues on the offensive side of the ball in 2023, their running backs had solid seasons despite the mess that was the offensive line in front of them.
Derrick Henry finished the campaign with 1,167 yards and 12 scores, ranking second and tied for seventh among running backs. Rookie Tyjae Spears tallied the fifth-most rushing yards (453) and fourth-most yards from scrimmage (838) among rookie backs.
Thanks to their impressive seasons, both Spears and Henry landed in the top 20 among backs in terms of Pro Football Focus grade, according to PFF’s Gordon McGuinness.
Henry finished with the third-highest grade (90.2) while Spears had the 18th-highest (76.8). Only one other rookie back had a higher mark than Spears, which was Miami Dolphins rookie back De’Von Achane, who finished with a league-best 92.1.
Henry’s grade was only topped by Achane and San Francisco 49ers star running back, Christian McCaffrey.
Henry and Spears were also part of an exclusive group of backs to total PFF grades north of 70 in rushing, receiving and pass-blocking, with Atlanta Falcons back Tyler Allgeier being the only other one to do so.
There’s no question Spears and Henry are a perfect complement to one another, but only Spears is locked into Tennessee for next season, as Henry is set to hit the open market.
