The Tennessee Titans may be ready to move on from star running back Derrick Henry according to one report. Bally’s Sports’ Michael Silver wrote today that the Titans were shopping running back Derrick Henry at the combine last week.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Titans are also releasing pass rusher, Bud Dupree.
Henry is arguably the Titans’ biggest star and best offensive weapon. The 29-year-old running back was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and has twice led the NFL in rushing. Henry has also led the league in carries three times.
However, that workload may be taking a toll on the once-prolific rusher. Henry ran for 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022. But his yards per carry was down a full yard from his career-best 2020 season when he averaged 5.4 yards per carry.
Henry is due a base salary of $10.5 million this season, none of which is guaranteed. If the Titans were to trade him, they’d save $6.3 million on their salary cap in 2023.
In another cost-cutting measure, the Titans have released pass rusher, Bud Dupree. Dupree was a Steelers first-round pick in 2015 and recorded 39.5 sacks in 81 games over six seasons for Pittsburgh.
Dupree signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Titans in March 2021. He was coming off an ACL tear when he signed with the Titans, and Tennessee’s gamble has not paid off. An abdominal injury kept Dupree out for several games in 2022, as he started just 11 contests. He recorded 4.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, and nine QB hits.
During Dupree’s two seasons in Tennessee, he has recorded just 7.0 sacks over 22 games. Releasing Dupree will save the Titans $9.35 million in cap savings with a $10.85 million hit in dead money. But if the Titans use a post-June 1 designation, they’ll save $15.75 million against the cap with $4.45 million in dead money in 2023.