What’s to blame for Tennessee Titans, Derrick Henry’s rushing struggles? Not just one thing

The Tennessee Titans want Derrick Henry touching the ball more. Henry just wants to make the most of the touches he’s getting.

“I think efficiency has been my main focus this week, trying to get the most out of a play that I can when the ball’s in my hands,” he said Wednesday. “Not really worried about the touches but, when I get the ball, it’s being efficient.”

Henry’s numbers have taken a dip in the Titans’ past two games. He has rushed 21 times for 64 yards, good for an average of just 2.95 yards per carry. This comes after he averaged 5.35 yards in the three games before that and 4.76 yards per carry for his career going into this season. This two-game stretch is just the second time since 2019 that Henry has been held below 40 rushing yards in consecutive games.

Ask Henry what’s going wrong and he’ll say he needs to do more. Rookie running back Tyjae Spears says the same about his own output. No matter how much flak the offensive line takes, the running backs believe its their job to make more plays. If an offensive lineman catches criticism for missing a block, a running back also should face criticism for failing to make a defender miss in space.

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“When they give us one guy, we’ve got to make the most of it and hit the home run,” Spears said. “I’ve got 1-on-1 opportunities a lot of times. Made the guy miss and somebody else got me or I just didn’t make the guy miss. I’ve got to be better for them. We always want to sit around and point the finger to the O-line, but they’ve got me 1-on-1 a lot this year and I failed them. That’s how you be efficient. Win your 1-on-1 battles.”

Are the holes there?

Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said Wednesday that he thinks the offensive line has done a good job of consistently opening holes for Henry. Running backs coach Justin Outten, contrastingly, said space for Henry has been limited.

A quick rewatch of Sunday’s loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars supports Outten’s claim a little more than Kelly’s. Henry and Spears combined to carry 14 times for 52 yards. A Jaguars defender made first contact with Henry or Spears within two yards of the line of scrimmage on 11 of those 14 rushes, and the duo combined to gain 34 of their 52 yards after contact, or roughly two-thirds.

There were at least three instances where either Henry or Spears could have made the first defender miss to get upfield for more yardage and didn’t, but two of those three situations came inside the tackle box, versus just one that happened in space on the perimeter.

“Those are some of the breakdowns that occurred the last couple of weeks that we’re trying to minimize,” Outten said. “Whether it’s a mental error or a lack of communication. Usually we’re not planning on those situations. Usually when you see them on the edge 1-on-1, that’s usually a designed play. But interior we try to prevent that.”

What’s going on up front?

Offensive line changes are sure to come again before the Titans host the Carolina Panthers (1-9) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (noon, FOX). Rookie Jaelyn Duncan and third-year tackle Dillon Radunz have swapped sides this week, with Duncan playing on the left and Radunz on the right.

Titans coaches have raved about Duncan’s steady improvement, and he’s in position to compete for his first NFL start, depending on if Andre Dillard clears concussion protocol and/or can win the job back over Duncan after struggling the first half of the season.

If Duncan starts, he’ll become the ninth Titans lineman to start a game this season. Most of the focus on the offensive line struggles has been concentrated on pass protection. But the Titans’ rushing offense has slipped to 19th in yards per game after ranking 13th last season and top five each of the three years before that.

Consistency up front and from the backs will be paramount as the Titans try to correct these issues for the final seven games of the season.

“Just continue to really lean on our proven players,” Kelly said when asked what he wants to do better as a play-caller. “Continuing to lean on Derrick. He’s a great player. Has been for a really long time. It’s continuing to give him opportunities to keep us on track and make a big play for us.”

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.