Derrick Henry took another step toward playing in Saturday’s divisional playoffs by participating in contact drills Wednesday at Titans practice.
Henry said he appreciates being back after more than two months away from the field and plans to contribute when Tennessee hosts the Cincinnati Bengals in Nashville on Saturday afternoon.
Henry hasn’t played since Oct. 31, but his window to be activated to the 53-man roster opened Jan. 5, giving the Titans time to get him on the field and set benchmarks for his return.
“I feel good,” Henry said Wednesday, noting the steel plate in his foot makes for an interesting souvenir.
When and how much Henry can play against Cincinnati are week-long questions with multiple variables, according to head coach Mike Vrabel. He’ll take another measurement of Henry each day following up on the previous day’s practice and how Henry’s body reacts.
“We’ll see how this week goes,” Henry said.
Vrabel said Henry would move in the right direction if he came out of the contact-allowed drills unscathed. He remains a non-roster participant in a bid to return from a broken foot that required surgery.
“It all starts out here on the practice field and doing everything I can to be ready for Saturday,” Henry said. “Trying to work hard, contribute the best I can.”
The NFL’s leading rusher at the time of his injury, Henry missed eight games but still finished sixth among running backs in rushing yards (937) this season.
“It has been a while since he has had contact,” Vrabel said. “We will have a week of work, see how he feels, and make a decision.”
D’Onta Foreman filled in with Henry out and had 533 yards on 166 carries (4.3 yards per carry). Vrabel said Foreman would remain involved in the game plan regardless of Henry’s game-day status.