Cameron Wolfe, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Derrick Henry-Dion Lewis backfield will feature elusiveness, a lot of sharing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- New Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur has a good problem. He has to figure out how to split the workload between his two talented and prideful running backs, Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis.

This will be an interesting dynamic to watch for Titans fans and fantasy football owners all season. But Lewis, who officially signed his four-year, $19.8 million deal with the Titans on Thursday, cited Henry's presence as a positive and not a challenge.

"I'm excited to work with Henry. He’s a great back. He’s a big back. We can work very well together -- two different style guys, but both very hard to tackle," said Lewis, who had 1,110 rushing and receiving yards to go with nine touchdowns last season. "It would be great for both of our careers."

Sharing is caring, and ideally both players will be willing to sacrifice some personal success for the good of the team and overall rushing game. Ideally. Together, they could become one of the NFL's best running back duos. But the first key will be figuring out how to split the workload.

"I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to share the ball," said Lewis, who was part of a four-back tandem in New England last season. "I’m used to sharing the ball. I don’t have no problem doing that here. At the same time, I’m coming to compete."

Henry is the bruising incumbent who has been champing at the bit for a workhorse back role for two years as he sat behind veteran DeMarco Murray. Lewis is the versatile new addition who is the ideal back for the modern NFL. It won't be as simple as Henry on first and second downs while Lewis plays on third down.

Lewis isn't a true pass-catching back. One AFC front-office executive gave his scouting report of Lewis saying, "He's not a natural receiver. He can do it and do it well, but you don't put him in that box. He's a stronger runner. He's the opposite style of Jerick McKinnon, who is more of a receiver than runner."

The numbers back that up. Lewis led the NFL averaging 2.611 yards after contact. Henry was third with 2.528 yards after contact. Lewis and Henry also ranked in the top-three in Next Gen Stats most elusive running backs.

Even so, Lewis provides more in the passing game than Henry. Lewis caught 32 of his 36 targets (89 percent) last season while Henry caught 11 of his 17 (65 percent). Henry's rare combination of speed and power makes him a constant home run threat and a terror for defenders to tackle.

Some of the two backs strengths are the same, despite Lewis standing at 5-foot-8, 195 pounds while Henry is 6-3, 247 pounds. What Lewis will provide over Henry is quickness as well as a dangerous check-down target for Marcus Mariota.

"It’s a huge challenge for defenses," Lewis said. "I definitely think it’s going to make defenses be on their toes of who is in the game. ... We’ll definitely be able to work together and use each other’s skill set to benefit each other."

The modern NFL has shifted to more committee backfields and there have been examples of how to give two No. 1 running backs room to shine. LaFleur got a first-hand view of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman doing that when he coached in Atlanta. He'll likely try to duplicate some of those elements.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't willing to name Henry the starter as of last month at the NFL combine, noting that competition in practice will decide that. The most likely scenario is that Henry will get the majority of the starts, but Lewis will take a significant cut into his workload.

"I can take my game to a whole other level," Lewis said. "I got big expectations for myself and the team.”

The Titans had 1,022 offensive snaps last season. Murray played 647 (or 63 percent) and Henry played 408 (or 40 percent) in 2017. My early prediction is those numbers could reflect a Henry-Lewis split in 2018 with Henry getting the higher number.

For perspective, Lewis had his breakout year playing 405 offensive snaps for the Patriots. So that projected split would keep him at roughly the same count while increasing Henry's load. It also wouldn't be a surprise to see the Titans add another true receiving back, maybe late in the draft.

Health is another factor that will be important, as Lewis alluded to earlier. Lewis was a late bloomer because he has been stricken with injuries throughout his NFL career. He played just 14 games between 2013-2016, primarily due to injury, before finishing 16 games for the first time in his career in 2017. He had a career-high 180 carries.

An AFC front-office executive believes that Lewis is an electric player, but injuries and size are his biggest concern. "Workload will be important," he said. "He's strong, can run in the middle of the defense and break tackles. But his body has to hold up for him."

It's fun to imagine what the Titans offense can look like with a more versatile and creative backfield. Lewis should help the Titans be less predictable and provide Mariota a much-needed safety valve in the passing game. And LaFleur has a great coaching problem, figuring out how to utilize these weapons effectively and appropriately.

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