Eagles Rumors: Should Philadelphia make a move for Derrick Henry?

The offseason is now underway as trade rumors are starting to swirl and Philadelphia looks to be at the center of it. The Eagles have found themselves in a predicament where they may not be able to completely rebuild their defense. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t overpower teams with their offense.

On Monday, it was reported that the Titans have been shopping RB Derrick Henry. While many people may scoff at the idea of trading for a 29-year-old running back it looks like the odds are against them. These are the current odds for teams that are in favor of acquiring the future Hall of fame back.

Derrick Henry 2023 Team Odds

• Tennessee Titans +250 (28.6%)

• Philadelphia Eagles +400 (20.0%) <—

• Buffalo Bills +550 (15.4%)

• Miami Dolphins +600 (14.3%)

• Baltimore Ravens +850 (10.5%)

• Chicago Bears +1000 (9.1%)

• Atlanta Falcons +1200 (7.7%)

• Carolina Panthers +1200 (7.7%)

• The Field +1400 (6.7%)

If you didn’t notice and if the little arrow didn’t help, it looks like the Eagles are the favorites to land him outside of the Titans retaining him. While the odds may have changed from Monday to Tuesday morning, it’s not a surprise to see the Eagles here.

Ideally, it makes all the sense in the world for the Eagles to make this move. You can trade for Henry and rework his deal in hopes of getting the most out of him over the next 2-3 seasons.  

But why would they?

The team is losing Miles Sanders in free agency as there will be another team that will offer him significantly more money. Trading for Henry could cost less especially if you restructure his contract to your benefit. His contract is set up to allow him to test free agency after the 2023 season. 

Philadelphia could extend him for another year or two and place his salary in the range of $8 million while loading the contract up with incentives and bonuses. In the last two seasons, Henry has only played in 24 games but has racked up 2,475 yards combined. 

He is receiving a massive amount of attempts in the Titans’ run-first offense as his yards per carry were 4.3 which is just below his career average of 4.8.

Bringing Henry to Philly will lower his usage and allow him to be somewhat rested. The Eagles are a pass-first offense that will use the run game to wear down defenses in the second half. While the offense is heavily filled with RPO plays, having a player like Henry that can break tackles and be a huge threat would be a plus.

I will never say that this is a move that Philly must make because it isn’t. But it is a move that will allow this offense to overpower opposing defenses.