With the Tennessee Titans set to face the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round, will star running back Derrick Henry be available?
As the top seed in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans had a bye in the Wild Card Round. That would serve as a massive advantage for the AFC South champions because that would give star running back Derrick Henry extra time to heal up and get ready for a potential return in the playoffs. But how close is he to suiting up for the Titans?
While meeting with the media on Thursday, head coach Mike Vrabel said that they will make an official announcement on Friday, Jan. 21, regarding whether Henry will be cleared to play in their Divisional Round game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, the expectation is that Henry will be able to play.
Derrick Henry expected to play vs. Bengals
As noted in Wolfe’s tweet above, Vrabel noted that Henry has progressed throughout the week and saw an increase in workload. That is welcoming news, but Titans fans no doubt want to hear that the running back will, indeed, be activated for the playoff game.
Back in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts, Henry picked up a foot injury late in the game. It was later determined that Henry had suffered a foot fracture and underwent surgery. Towards the end of the season, Henry was activated off the injured reserve, but the team opted against him playing in Week 18 against the Houston Texans.
In the eight games that Henry participated in this season, he picked up 937 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 219 carries. Additionally, he caught 18-of-20 targets for 154 yards.
Titans host the Bengals on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 4:30 p.m. ET, live from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.