NASHVILLE – Derrick Henry fell short of a third NFL rushing this season. His 1,538 yards were the third-most of his career and left him second to Las Vegas’ Josh Jacobs, who ran for 1,653.
Henry, however, did end up on top in two areas – one that was no surprise and another that few – if anyone – would have predicted.
Henry’s 349 carries were nine more than Jacobs’ and the most in the league. That made 2022 the third time in four seasons that the Tennessee Titans running back led the NFL in that regard. The last time anyone had a comparable run in that regard was when Walter Payton did it four years in a row (1976-79).
Nothing new there.
Over the past four seasons, Henry has 1,249 rushes. Only four others have as many as 1,000 led by Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook with 1,075. He is also the only player to average better than 100 rushing yards per game during that stretch.
Here’s where things take an unexpected turn, though.
Henry also led the NFL in average yards after the catch. His average of 12.03 post-reception yards was nearly two yards better than second-place Travis Etienne of Jacksonville (10.06) and the second-best rate in the last five years. Only San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel, at 12.06 in 2020, has been better recently.
A rundown of the 2022 NFL leaders in average yards after the reception:
| Player, Team | Pos. | Avg. YAC |
|---|---|---|
|
Derrick Henry, Tennessee |
RB |
12.03 |
|
Travis Etienne, Jacksonville |
RB |
10.06 |
|
Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City |
RB |
9.66 |
|
D’Andre Swift, Detroit |
RB |
9.27 |
|
Tony Pollard, Dallas |
RB |
8.90 |
Henry set a career-high with 398 receiving yards this season, and he covered almost all of that ground once the ball was in his hands. On average, he caught the ball .03 yards – that is one inch – beyond the line of scrimmage. He finished with 33 receptions (also a career-high), which adds up to 33 inches, or just less than one yard.
Of course, many times he was actually behind the line of scrimmage when the ball arrived, which meant there were times he had more yards after the catch than what the actual gain was credited. It is typical of his position. Fourteen of this season’s top 16 in average yards after the catch were running backs. The only exceptions were Samuel (sixth at 8.8) and Henry’s teammate, rookie tight end Chig Okonkwo (tied for 15th7.94).
Still, he managed to do a lot in those situations. Henry had five receptions that went for more than 20 yards and five more that went for more than 10 yards. His 69-yard catch-and-run against the Cincinnati Bengals was Tennessee’s longest play of the year – and helped make him a league leader.
.