The NFL suffered a massive loss when back-to-back rushing champion Derrick Henry went down with a potential season-ending foot injury back in week 8, during a victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Henry’s Jones fracture was expected to keep him out for at least 6-10 weeks, but there were some medical professionals who were very skeptical about the 2,000-yard rusher’s chances of getting back on the field this season, considering the nature of the injury along with Henry’s size and position.
When speaking with OutKick back when the injury took place, ProFootballDoc’s David J. Chao explained what a Jones fracture is and why it’s so difficult for a running back of Henry’s size to come back from such an injury so quickly.
David makes some great points (as he usually does), but one thing that all of these doctors may not have taken into consideration is just how much of a freak of nature Henry is. And apparently, this freak could be back on the field as early as the beginning of January, if all continues to go according to plan.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, there are people in the Tennessee Titans building who are optimistic about Henry’s return in early January:
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“I was just in Nashville talking to some people on the team. Talking to some people connected to the organization. Trying to get a sense, what’s up with Derrick Henry? Is he coming back? There is optimism that he’ll be back early January.”
Early January would be a dream scenario for the Titans, who are seemingly locked into a playoff spot at the moment with an AFC best 8-3 record. Thanks to the extra week this season, the final week of the regular season isn’t until January 9. And the playoffs don’t begin until January 15.
Based on all of that, if everything continues to progress smoothly for King Henry, we could be seeing him back on the field for the start of the playoffs…and maybe even some of the regular season!
That might be too late to save your fantasy season if you were a Henry owner, but it’s great news for Titans fans, who can start thinking about a realistic run to the Super Bowl again with the start rushing on the comeback trail.
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