I'd learned not to doubt Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry. I'm not starting now | Estes

Wednesday’s unscheduled media appearance at the Tennessee Titans' facility confirmed what Derrick Henry did not.

“We will see.” That’s what Henry said when asked about his status for Saturday’s playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

His playful smile in answering, though, said something different. So did the fact he was even doing the interview when Titans players on injured reserve — which still includes Henry, technically — have generally been off-limits to reporters all season (with COVID-19 still keeping media out of NFL locker rooms).

So yeah, he’s back.

Barring something unexpected between that podium visit and Saturday afternoon, the real question isn’t about Henry playing but how effective he’ll be when he does.

It’s unrealistic to expect any running back who was off his feet for so long – Henry wasn’t able to drive himself for five weeks, much less stay in shape – to return without a hitch and pick up where he left off to carry his team to the AFC title game, 2019-style.

At the same time …

It’s Derrick Henry.

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All these limitations that would apply to anyone else, I’d long ago stopped applying them to him. Would it surprise me if he went out there and ran for 200 yards against the Bengals? No. I mean, would anyone be surprised by that?

I’ll tell you what did surprise me: How much that the sight of seeing that guy back at that podium on Wednesday delighted me. Don’t get that twisted. It wasn’t a rooting interest or even a personal one. Truth is, I barely know Henry away from football. He’s tough to get to know.

What made me happy was the thought that football will be more fun when Henry is part of it again.

Credit the Titans for finding ways to survive without him and still win the AFC’s No. 1 seed. He was sorely missed, though, perhaps more by those watching the Titans than the Titans themselves.

In watching Henry, you grow to understand that you’re witnessing greatness – a running back who’s capable at a moment’s notice of doing things that you’ve never seen before on a football field. That doesn’t come along very often.

And I sense that's been forgotten a bit in Henry’s absence of late. During the second half of this season, the narrator of “Hard Knocks” and plenty of others kept wanting to tell us the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor is the NFL’s best running back. Pretty sure no one asked Alvin Kamara about that. Or Dalvin Cook. Or Nick Chubb.

Or Derrick Henry.

“In my opinion, I think he’s the best running back in the game,” said Titans receiver A.J. Brown of Henry. “… At any moment, he can go for 70 (yards). That gives us confidence.’

Prior to his getting hurt, Henry had been even better in 2021 than in 2020, when he rushed for 2,000 yards. Titans fans really were spoiled. They were being treated each week to legendary feats – or at least the likelihood of them.

This injury that has sidelined Henry since Halloween robbed everyone of that. More so, it finally did what the NFL hadn’t to that point: It proved he was human after all.

We have learned that Henry isn’t indestructible. I’d imagine he knew that already – he always joked about hiding the soreness well – but you have to wonder if that could change things. As Henry noted more than once Wednesday, he’d never dealt with a serious midseason injury like this.

Like you, I’ve monitored the practice reps that have gradually ramped up the past few weeks. I’ve examined those cell phone videos shared by colleagues on social media, looking for any evidence – it has been undetectable, at least to my eyes – of a foot that’s still hurting.

No, Henry looks good. I thought so in person this week. While watching drills, I noticed his teammates peeking over at the running backs from time to time.

Who could blame them?

It’s still Derrick Henry.

And it's almost time to be reminded of that.

Reach Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Gentry_Estes.

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