HENRY CLEARED TO PRACTICE FOR TITANS
The Tennessee Titans have made the easy move opening the 21-day window for Derrick Henry to practice Wednesday.
The next decision, particularly the timing, will be more challenging.
Taking the 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year off injured reserve by Sunday means he could help beat Houston, clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Waiting means the Titans try to earn the firstround bye without Henry, giving him more time to shake off the rust from missing the past nine weeks with a broken right foot.
“See how he responds and ask him to start doing some of those things that he’s going to need to do in the football game,” coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday.
“No different than what we have done with any other guy that’s come back from the injured reserve and as they start their return to play.”
The Titans have to balance Henry’s health against the benefits of playing in a game compared to the quality of work available in practices at the end of the NFL regular season.
“We will try to do everything we can for the players that are coming back to try to recreate, to give them the confidence and the trust that they can go out there and do their job,” Vrabel said. “We try and do that with every player that is returning.”
Henry, who turned 28 on Tuesday, broke his right foot Oct. 31 and had surgery Nov. 2 to repair his fifth metatarsal. Henry led the league with 937 yards rushing when he was put on injured reserve, and the NFL’s 2019 and 2020 rushing leader still ranks sixth in the league despite missing eight games.
The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry has been out nine weeks counting the Titans’ bye Dec. 5. Henry is averaging a leaguehigh 117.1 yards a game. He is averaging 4.3 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns rushing.
The Titans (11-5) clinched their second straight AFC South championship last week with a 34-3 rout of Miami. A win Sunday over Houston (4-12) would give Tennessee the franchise’s third No. 1 seed in the AFC since leaving Texas and first since 2008.
League has combine warning
The NFL has issued a warning to teams that they could lose a draft pick and face significant fines if club representatives conduct themselves unprofessionally in interviews with draft prospects.
In a memo obtained by the AP that was sent to clubs, the league said a team would forfeit a draft pick between the first and fourth round and be fined a minimum of $150,000 if it’s determined a club representative displayed conduct that is “disrespectful, inappropriate, or unprofessional” during an interview. Fines and/or suspensions of individual club employees also could be imposed, according to the memo.
“We aim for dignity, respect and professionalism,” league executive Troy Vincent told the AP. “It’s that simple.”
Notable
Running back Cam Akers is expected to make his season debut for the Rams in their regular-season finale on Sunday.
Jimmy Garoppolo has resumed throwing for the 49ers and took part in practice in a limited role but that doesn’t mean his sprained right thumb is close to fully recovered.
The AFC North champion Bengals won’t play quarterback Joe Burrow in the regular-season finale against the Browns on Sunday to make sure he is healthy for the first round of the playoffs.
Kirk Cousins was activated from COVID-19 reserve, ending his five-day stay on the list that kept him out of the 3710 loss at Green Bay that eliminated the Vikings from postseason contention.