EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There was once a time when the Tennessee Titans were among the final four teams remaining in the playoffs after the 2019 season.Although Ryan Tannehill's ultra-efficient quarterback play sparked an unlikely run to the AFC Championship Game, it was Derrick Henry who was the catalyst for Tennessee. It was also Henry's image that was on network postseason advertisements along with Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs, Jimmy Garoppolo for the San Francisco 49ers, and Aaron Rodgers for the Green Bay Packers.Imagine that, a running back mixed in with three quarterbacks in a time when most teams featured pass-happy offensive attacks.So much has changed since then for the Titans -- and Henry.Henry's last game with the Titans was the 2023 season finale, a 20-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That game marked the end of an era, not just for Henry; it was the end of the road for Tannehill as well. Tennessee has a 6-31 record since Henry left in 2024, while Henry remains one of the game's best running backs -- just for the Baltimore Ravens.Henry will get his first opportunity to face his former team when the Titans travel to the Ravens Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS)."It's still like family there," Henry said Wednesday. "It's always love. But there ain't going to be much love on Sunday."That's easy for Henry to say as he has been on an upward trajectory since he left Tennessee, while the Titans have followed more of a diverging path.Henry returned to the playoffs in his first season with the Ravens thanks in large part to his 1,921 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Baltimore has a 20-14 record since Henry signed.No team has lost more games than the Titans dating back to the start of the 2024 season, Henry's first year in Baltimore. Both at 9-28, the New York Jets and New York Giants are the next two franchises with the most. Ironically, both teams handed Tennessee a loss in 2026, contributing to the Titans' 0-3 record this season.Henry and the Ravens are Super Bowl contenders, while the Titans are an early contender for the No.1 pick in the 2027 NFL draft.As Tennessee's rebuild continues, there has been a large amount of turnover.A coach or general manager in the Titans organization has been fired every year since 2022, starting with the firing of general manager Jon Robinson, who signed Henry to a four-year, $50 million contract extension in 2020. Ran Carthon replaced Robinson in 2023. Head coach Mike Vrabel was fired in 2024 after a 6-13 record and only one year with Carthon.Titans controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk wanted to implement a more modern offense that would be more reliant upon the passing game, so Carthon hired former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to replace Vrabel.In 2024, Carthon, a former NFL running back himself, understood it was clear both Henry and the team needed to part ways, allowing Henry to pursue a championship while the Titans underwent a rebuilding process."I knew the writing was on the wall throughout that season and they were ready to move on," Henry said. "Good things don't last forever. So it was time for me to find a new home, and I knew what that home I wanted it to be and it was here [Baltimore]."Tennessee attempted to replace Henry via free agency with former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard in 2024 -- Pollard rushed for 1,079 yards and four touchdowns in his first season with the Titans, but the team finished tied with the Cleveland Browns and Giants for the worst record (3-13) in the league that year.Meanwhile, the Ravens made it to that postseason with Henry's 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers pushing Baltimore to the divisional round, where they suffered a 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills.Carthon was quickly relieved of his duties in 2025 after two seasons. Mike Borgonzi took over for Carthon and selected Cam Ward with the No.1 overall pick. Callahan was fired after a 1-5 start, and the Titans finished with a 3-14 record last season in Ward's first year as a starter. While at the same time in Baltimore, Henry's 1,595 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns were the second most in each category in 2025. But the Ravens finished with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs. Pollard's 1,082 rushing yards gave him his fourth consecutive season with 1,000 or more rushing yards, joining Henry as the only two backs to do so over the past four seasons.The six wins in Henry's final season in Tennessee would be welcomed by the current Titans, who have won that in total over the past two seasons and counting. The Titans have only won two games at Nissan Stadium since Henry's departure. That's a far cry from the "HEN-RY, HEN-RY" chants that broke out during home games in Henry's prime Titans years (2019-24)."He was the face of the franchise for a while," Titans running back Julius Chestnut said of his former teammate. "The way he played. The way he runs, he's just angry, and it sprays off to other teammates. It makes you want to go harder."Ward was next in line to be the face of the franchise, but his 3-17 record in his first 20 games hasn't given much hope things will turn around any time soon.Take for example, the final offensive play of the Titans' 12-7 loss to the Giants last week as a microcosm of Ward's time in Tennessee. Ward stepped up in the pocket and scrambled to his left while being pursued by Giants linebacker Arvell Reese. With the game in the Titans' grasp, Ward had multiple options: run the ball, throw it out of bounds or throw it to the corner of the end zone, allowing Elic Ayomanor to make a play. Ward did neither as he tried to loft the ball over safety Jevon Holland's head only to be intercepted and lose the game.Among 88 QBs who have debuted in Ward's career -- and started at least 20 games -- Ward ranks 81st in Total QBR (35.8).Ward is in need of a signature win, and going to Baltimore and beating the Ravens could be just that as Henry's and the Titans path converge once more."[Henry's] still effective. The people around the building who've been here love him," Ward said.
