If you are a fan of the Tennessee Titans, you should be very interested in knowing the best running backs of the team. This article talks about it all.
Tennessee Titans Greatest Running Backs In History
The top Titans RBs include Chris Johnson, Eddie George, Derrick Henry, DeMarco Murray, Lendale White, and Earl Campbell, who are among the best NFL running backs of all time.
Earl Campbell
- Derrick Henry
- Chris Johnson
- Eddie George
- Tim Wilson
- Joe Dawkins
- Chris Henry
- DeMarco Murray
- Ode Burrell
- Dexter McCluster
Tennessee Titans Best Running Backs Of All-Time
Earl Campbell
Campbell was the first overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, and he was signed to a six-year, $1.4 million contract by the Houston Oilers.
By dealing tight end Jimmie Giles, their first and second-round picks in the 1978 Draft, and their third and fifth-round picks in the 1979 Draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Oilers were able to acquire the pick.
Campbell was voted the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News and the Associated Press after rushing for a league-leading and rookie-record 1,450 yards (AP).
United Press International (UPI) named him AFC Offensive Player of the Year, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). Campbell’s arrival in Houston aided the start of the Luv Ya Blue era.
Derrick Henry
Henry was anticipated to be picked in the late first or second round by the majority of analysts coming out of Alabama. His enormous physique, powerful rushing, ability to break tackles with ease, speed, long strides, great conditioning, and consistent play were considered his key assets by scouts.
The wear and tear on his body as a workhorse at Alabama, as well as his moderate acceleration, ordinary foot quickness, below-average catching skills, narrow-based running style, sluggish cuts, and running tall, were all major concerns.
Chris Johnson
The Tennessee Titans selected Johnson in the first round (24th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. Since linebacker Robert Jones was taken 24th overall in the 1992 NFL Draft, he was the highest-ranked East Carolina player in the draft.
Eddie George
The Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) selected George in the first round (14th overall) in the 1996 NFL Draft after Jerome Bettis chose to be moved to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers over the Oilers after the St. Louis Rams replaced Bettis with Lawrence Phillips.
George was named NFL Rookie of the Year in 1996 and was the Oilers’/Titans’ starting tailback from 1996 through 2003, never missing a game. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times in a row (1997–2000) and helped the Titans win Super Bowl XXXIV, which they lost 23–16 to the St. Louis Rams.
George rushed for 95 yards, caught two receptions for 35 yards, and scored two touchdowns in the Super Bowl after gaining 391 combined rushing and receiving yards in the Titans’ three playoff games that year.
Tim Wilson
Tim Wilson (January 14, 1954 – November 23, 1996) was an American football running back who played for the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL).
Earl Campbell, the Hall of Fame running back, used him as a lead blocker. He was a member of the University of Maryland football team. Josh Wilson, his son, was an NFL player.
Wilson was honored by the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1991.
Joe Dawkins
Joseph Dawkins, III (born January 27, 1948 in Los Angeles) is a former American football running back who played for the Houston Oilers, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants in the National Football League.
He was taken in the tenth round of the 1970 NFL Draft after playing collegiate football at the University of Wisconsin.
Chris Henry
The Tennessee Titans picked Henry in the second round (50th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. The NFL suspended Henry for four games on November 3, 2007, for breaching the league’s substance usage policy.
Henry was said to have tested positive for a banned prescription drug that isn’t performance-enhancing. In seven games as a rookie, he rushed for 119 yards on 31 runs with two touchdowns.
DeMarco Murray
Murray rushed for 1,287 yards on 293 carries in his rookie season with the Titans. In 2016, he was sixth among NFL running backs with 12 total touchdowns, nine rushings, and three receiving.
He also threw for his first NFL touchdown on a ten-yard halfback pass to Delanie Walker in a 47-25 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 10.
Ode Burrell
Ode Burrell Jr. was an American football player who played from September 15, 1939 to February 28, 2009. He was a halfback for Durant High School in Mississippi and Mississippi State University, where he was named MVP of the Liberty Bowl and the Blue-Gray Game.
From 1964 to 1969, he was a member of the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL). He was a versatile player throughout his career.
He carried for 528 yards, caught 55 receptions for 650 yards, and returned punts and kickoffs for an additional 241 yards in his greatest season, 1965. In 1965, he was named to the American Football League’s All-Star team.
Dexter McCluster
McCluster signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Tennessee Titans on March 11, 2014. McCluster was waived by the Titans on September 2, 2016.
