King: Titans' Derrick Henry 'Only Truly Great Player Who Could Be' Traded at Deadline

In terms of potentially shaking up the NFL playoff race, Tuesday's trade deadline could be a tame affair.

NBC Sports' Peter King wrote in his weekly column Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry "is the only truly great player who could be—should be—traded in the next day-and-a-half."

And the signs are pointing toward Henry staying put in Nashville.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Saturday the Titans told the 2020 All-Pro they aren't planning to deal him. Jeff Darlington of ESPN reported Friday on NFL Live the Titans were "not getting much interest," either.

While King didn't dispute Schefter's reporting, he posited that telling Henry he won't be traded "means nothing."

"And it's a good way for Titans GM Ran Carthon to be able to say to interested teams like Dallas and Baltimore: 'If you want him, you better pony up because we intend to keep him.'" he wrote.

Tennessee's 28-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons might have emboldened the front office to stand pat. The team is just one game back of the final wild-card spot in the AFC, and perhaps rookie quarterback Will Levis can provide a spark in the second half after throwing for for 238 yards and four touchdowns.

Henry went for 101 yards against Atlanta, his second-highest output of the season. Through seven starts, he has 526 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and his 4.4 yards per carry are right in line with where he was in 2021 and 2022.

The 29-year-old would obviously make an immediate impact on a postseason contender. Maybe the Titans aren't ready to throw in the towel on their own playoff quest, though.