Former All-Pro RB Maurice Jones-Drew predicts Titans' Derrick Henry will lead NFL in rushing

All-Pro running back Derrick Henry recently received a pay raise from the Tennessee Titans but will still find himself playing for a contract extension when he and his teammates open the regular season at home versus the New York Giants Sunday. 

Henry was the NFL's two-time reigning rushing champion and leading the league with 937 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall before he suffered a foot injury on Oct. 31 that kept him out of action until the postseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in January. Former pro ball-carrier and current analyst Maurice Jones-Drew clearly doesn't believe Henry will be slowed by that setback, as he predicted for a piece published Thursday that the 28-year-old will win a third rushing crown. 

"There was no hesitation in placing Henry here," Jones-Drew said of his rankings. "He's proven to be the best at the position for several years running. I'd even make the case that he deserved that title last season, when he finished in the top 10 in rushing yards despite missing more than half the season due to a foot injury. Now healthy, Henry should regain his spot at the top of the rushing ranks."

2021 rushing champion Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts is second on Jones-Drew's list, followed by Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns. Chubb likely will be asked to be his offense's top star through at least the end of November with new starting quarterback Deshaun Watson suspended for the campaign's first 11 games.

"(Head coach) Kevin Stefanski knows his offense must lean on Chubb, who's averaged 5.3 yards per carry in his career, if Cleveland wants to get back to the postseason," Jones-Drew noted. "The fifth-year pro should have no problem logging his fourth consecutive season with 1,000 yards rushing."