Patriots should be interested in trading for Derrick Henry
The Patriots aren’t necessarily in need of adding a running back this season, as they do have Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong Jr., and Kevin Harris still on rookie contracts. But Damien Harris is set to hit free agency next week, and little has been said about his possible return, leaving space for a new running back to sign with the team.
Among the list of names that were said to be on the trade block, Michael Silver of Bally Sports revealed on Monday that Titans’ star runner and basically their entire offense, Derrick Henry, was shockingly one of them.
"“According to my sources — all of them current general managers — Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins are among the players who’ve been shopped in recent days.”"
Silver cited his sources as current general managers around the league but did not include any more information regarding which teams had been in contact about Henry.
Could the Patriots have been one of them?
Potentially.
Their current roster shows they’re not necessarily in the market for a running back. But it’s hard to pass up any opportunity to acquire a talent like Henry. And because they’ve leaned heavily on the ground game over the last few years, adding a nearly unstoppable force to the backfield would be an unquestionable move to make.
During the seven years spent with the Titans, the 29-year-old quickly became the most integral part of the Tennessee offense. As the main workhorse on the team, he has totaled 1,750 carries for 8,335 yards and 78 touchdowns, plus 127 receptions for 1,244 yards and three more touchdowns in 102 games.
Just last season, despite dealing with injuries and carrying most of the team, Henry led the league with 349 rushing attempts and totaled 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns. His most recent production makes it all the more confusing why the Titans would even consider moving on from him.
But since they’re considered serious about shopping him, exploring how the Patriots could pull off the trade is rather interesting.
Henry is on the last year of his current contract, with a cap hit of $16,367,647 for the 2023 season. If the Titans trade him before June 1st, they will take on just over $10 million in dead cap while clearing over $6.2 million for the year.
A post-June first trade would work better in their favor, spreading the $10.1 million in dead cap over the next two seasons and creating $11 million in cap savings for 2023.
What would it take for the Patriots to get the trade done?
Running backs are usually not a team’s favorite position to spend money on. With Damien Harris seeming unlikely to be returning, it doesn’t appear that Bill Belichick is all that interested in spending money there, either.
With so many holes to fill on the team overall (wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback), adding a running back doesn’t seem like the best idea. And although that may be true, inquiring about Henry is the least Belichick could do.
How much Tennessee will be asking for is unknown. A first-round pick doesn’t seem too far out of the question, but Henry is on the wrong side of a running back’s best years which will likely lower what teams are willing to give up for him.
Could a second-round and a later-round pick get it done?
Over the next week or so, more details may be disclosed about the Titans’ plans regarding Henry, with clarity on what they’re also looking for as a possibility. Of course, we know the Patriots have other positions in more dire need of improving, but it would be crazy to pass up on potentially landing Henry, even if it ended up being for just one season.