Titans activate Derrick Henry from IR for playoff game against Bengals
The Tennessee Titans' wrecking ball running back will return just in the nick of time. The Titans activated Derrick Henry from Injured Reserve on Friday, a day before the team takes on the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
The move clears Henry to return nearly three months after suffering a foot injury vs. the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 31.
The @KingHenry_2 Experience is BACK 👑 pic.twitter.com/1OWT0vNdmT
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) January 21, 2022
Henry underwent Jones fracture surgery on Nov. 2. The procedure knocked Henry out for the rest of the regular season. He has a steel plate in his right foot as a result of the surgery.
Derrick Henry said he has a big steel plate his foot. But otherwise, he feels good and getting back to being himself.
Thankful of Titans trainers for getting him back &fans for writing him letters. He said he couldn't drive for 5 weeks so his girlfriend drove him to facility.— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 19, 2022
Prior to the injury, Henry rushed for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games. He was well on his way to a third straight Pro Bowl selection and a possible All-Pro nod.
Despite missing Henry, the Titans went 6-3 over the final nine weeks of the season and clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC. That earned the team a bye in the wild-card round, giving Henry an extra week to recover.
Derrick Henry will try to propel Titans to Super Bowl
Henry's activation was expected after he returned to practice Tuesday. He told reporters he felt "great" following Wednesday's practice, another positive sign Henry would return.
Henry will have a tough task in his first game back. The Bengals allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards during the regular season. Henry is far from the average running back, and could give the Bengals' usually stout rushing defense plenty of issues as long as he's fully recovered after surgery.
