NASHVILLE - Derrick Henry has patiently waited for his chance to shine with the Tennessee Titans, and heading into his third NFL season, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner will have his chance.
Henry isn't sharing any specific goals for yards or touchdowns, but the former University of Alabama running back made one thing clear: He is looking forward to a big season.
"I definitely want to be dominant this year," Henry said.
He added he simply wants to "make plays for this offense, be a consistent back. Make plays any chance that I'm in there and just do what I'm asked."
And above all else, Henry wants to "help this team win games."
The soft-spoken rusher gave a glimpse of his potential in the Titans' comeback victory in Kansas City last January, running for 156 yards for the second-best playoff performance in franchise history.
Henry doesn't define being dominant by putting up big numbers, though. He said it's "having a great game every game and an impact every game at my position. . How I make plays and what I do throughout the game to help this team win."
There were questions when general manager Jon Robinson used his third pick in the second round of the 2016 draft to select Henry only weeks after trading for veteran runner DeMarco Murray, the 2014 NFL offensive player of the year. When the Titans cut Murray in March after his production dropped last season, having Henry on board paid off.
Tennessee also signed Dion Lewis to join Henry in the backfield, but the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry led the Titans with 744 rushing yards last season despite starting only two games and getting eight fewer carries than Murray.
The Titans have not said who will start at running back. Tennessee plays Aug. 9 at Green Bay to open its preseason schedule, and the regular-season opener is Sept. 9 at Miami.
"Dion's a great guy, and we've been getting along very well," Henry said. "Very excited to have a tandem together."
Lewis was signed for his skills catching passes out of the backfield to fit the new offense being installed by coordinator Matt LaFleur. Henry didn't have as much of a chance to showcase his hands in college, when he made just 17 receptions, but he did have 35 receiving yards in last season's wild-card game in Kansas City. That helped Henry set a franchise-record with 191 yards from scrimmage, topping the mark of 178 yards set by Billy Cannon on Jan. 1, 1961, for the Houston Oilers in the old American Football League.
First-year Titams coach Mike Vrabel said everyone is working for a starting job.
"As we continue to work through the offense and through the plays and the complementary type of football that we want to run, some of those things will sort themselves out," Vrabel said. "The plays that we like with Dion and the plays that we like with Derrick are going to start to emerge."
One thing's for sure: LaFleur's offense will be leaning on outside zone runs, and that should play into Henry's strength. That's what he ran in college with the Crimson Tide, becoming the program's all-time leading rusher with 3,591 yards and 42 touchdowns.
Said Henry of the Titans' offensive scheme: "I like it a lot."