Darrell Henderson is thriving despite defenses loading the box against him
Darrell Henderson has emerged as the Rams’ most consistent and reliable running back this season. He has three games with at least 80 yards rushing, including two with more than 120 yards from scrimmage.
His rise to prominence this season has been encouraging for the Rams, even if somewhat surprising in wake of the team spending a second-round pick on Cam Akers – who has yet to get going in the NFL. But what’s even more impressive about Henderson’s strong start is the fact that he’s done it against loaded boxes.
According to Next Gen Stats, Henderson has run against eight-plus defenders in the box 27.78% of the time. That’s the fourth-highest rate in the NFL, behind only Benny Snell, Mike Davis and Gus Edwards. For comparison, Todd Gurley faced loaded boxes only 7.81% of the time in 2018 and 16.85% in 2017 – both third-lowest in the league.
Despite teams stacking the box against Henderson, he’s still gained 39 rushing yards over expected, which is the 11th-most in the NFL. His rush percentage over expected, which measures how often a running back gains more yards than expected, is sixth-highest among all running backs at 47.2%.
He’s gotten great blocking from his offensive line, but Henderson has also created yards himself by making defenders miss, finding cutback lanes and gaining yards after contact. He gains 2.3 yards after contact per carry, which is tied for 17th in the NFL.
Henderson hasn’t lit the world on fire with 100-yard game after 100-yard game, but he’s playing better than expected and beating defenses that are gearing up to stop him. That’s good news for the Rams and should give them confidence when handing him the ball.
