Titans fans caught in their feelings watching Derrick Henry score TD for Ravens

Every year, an NFL fanbase watches a player leave to sign with another team in free agency. That is a given every single offseason. For the Tennessee Titans faithful, they envisioned running back Derrick Henry would be with the organization for the entirety of his career. Instead, Henry entered free agency earlier in the year and ended up signing with the Baltimore Ravens.

It was going to take some getting used to Henry donning the purple and black uniforms of the Ravens over the navy blue uniforms of the Titans, especially for those who root for the latter. For those Titans who were hyped to watch the start of the regular season, they were given a gut punch.

On the opening drive of the game, the Ravens took 15 plays to reach the end zone. The player to physically hold onto the football and cross the goal line was, you guessed it, Henry, on a five-yard dash up the middle of the line of scrimmage.

Let’s take a look at some of the reactions from Titans fans, watching Henry put the Ravens up 7-0 over the defending Super Bowl champions.

Henry arrived in Tennessee as a superstar running back for the Alabama Crimson Tide. In 2015, Henry won the Heisman Trophy, and he happened to fall to the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. That proved to be a steal for the Titans. Yes, running backs had become undervalued by teams, but Henry had proven to be an unstoppable force.

In 2019 and 2020, Henry was the NFL’s rushing yards and rushing touchdowns leader. In 2019, Henry ran for 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns on 303 carries. In 2020, Henry picked up 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns on 378 carries, which helped him win the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award.

In eight seasons with the Titans, Henry recorded 9,502 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns on 2,030 carries.

With a new regime in Tennessee, led by general manager Ran Carthon, the Titans opted to let Henry walk in free agency. Henry decided to sign with the Ravens, a contender in the AFC, on a two-year, $16 million contract.

It took little time for Henry to make a statement for the Ravens. On the very first drive of the game, it showed just how dangerous a combination Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson will be when they both carry the football.