Getty Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry running through the New York Jets defense.
Injuries are a necessary evil in the game of football and it can often be a devastating thing for NFL teams.
That was very much the case for the Tennessee Titans.
On Monday morning we learned that NFL superstar Derrick Henry is likely out for the season after suffering a foot injury during the Titans victory over the Indianapolis Colts, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The specificity of the injury seems to be a “jones fracture” that would require surgery and end his season, per Schefter.
This is an absolutely brutal blow for a team that had Super Bowl aspirations and holds the best record in the AFC conference at 6-2.
Ex-New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan said it best on Get Up, “there’s no player in the league that means more to his football team than Derrick Henry.”
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Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
With the Titans losing their best player on the team, but still having those lofty expectations of themselves it seems like they may get desperate ahead of the November 2 NFL trade deadline on Tuesday.
Shortly after sharing the news of Henry’s injury, ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped a list of potential options for the Titans that they could look to trade for.
At the top of that list was surprisingly Jets running back Tevin Coleman. The other names that were featured on the list include:
- David Johnson, Philip Lindsay of the Houston Texans
- Ty’Son Williams of the Baltimore Ravens
- Melvin Gordon of the Denver Broncos (although Schefter called it unlikely)
- Ronald Jones of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Mike Davis of the Atlanta Falcons
- Rashaad Penny of the Seattle Seahawks
Coleman has fallen out of favor with the Jets coaching staff in terms of playing time. There has been an apparent shift to the younger backs on the roster with Michael Carter and Ty Johnson popping.
The veteran has only played in four of the Jets’ seven games so far this season. In those contests, Coleman has 21 carries for 73 yards.
Joe Douglas About to Strike Again
Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas thrives in these kinds of situations.
A team is desperate due to a devastating injury and time is suddenly of the essence with the NFL trade deadline less than 36 hours away.
Douglas has executed 14 player trades during his run as the head honcho and more times than not he has gotten an insane return on investment:
- Chris Herndon to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2022 fourth-rounder.
- Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a pair of future first-rounders and a 2021 third-rounder.
- Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for three picks (2021 sixth-rounder and two picks in 2022: second and fourth-rounder).
The Jets are 2-5 and Coleman is an expendable piece. They love the young running backs on the team and TC is unlikely to return to the team in 2022.
The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal this offseason that featured a $1 million base salary. He’s a professional football player that has proven when healthy can be a dynamic piece both in the rushing and the receiving game.
Coleman has run for over 3,010 rushing yards, has 1,241 receiving, and has over 36 career touchdowns.
When you take a deeper look at his receiving analytics, there is so much more untapped potential that hasn’t been realized yet.
Mike Herndon, a Titans Insider, ranked Coleman in his top-five “band-aid options” to replace Henry:
I think I’d rank the Henry bandaid options like this:
1. Marlon Mack (if Indy will trade him in division)
2. Cordarrelle Patterson
3. Rashaad Penny
4. Tevin Coleman
5. Todd Gurley
Who knows what the Jets could get for Coleman, especially considering the circumstances, but it would likely net a day three pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
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