METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — In a league that doesn’t prioritize full-contact drills at practice, the Saints have a tough test to tackle in Week 1. And 13-year veteran defensive end Cam Jordan knows it.
“For some reason, you know, we’re going to this game and we’re not talking about Derrick Henry being the best back this last three years,” Jordan said in the Saints locker room Thursday.
“He was hurt last year, and he still finished top five in rushing yards and he missed six games. Seven games. So if he had a full season, he would have been the three time reigning champ, most likely. That’s no knock on Josh Jacobs. That’s just how astounding Derrick Henry has been. I think that with his game plan, we won’t have to come in. We have to play things tightly and know that it’s going to be a heavy emphasis on tackling, run…everybody, ganging up on Derrick Henry in the backfield type game.”
Henry was the NFL rushing yards leader in 2019 and 2020, and in 2020, won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. That season, Henry led the NFL with a franchise-record 2,027 rushing yards.
Henry did not play during the preseason but did witness from the sideline some big plays by his Tulane backup Tyjae Spears.
The Saints and Titans meet in the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Sept. 10.
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