Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel answers hilarious question about tackling Derrick Henry

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 8/1/23

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has a reputation for being arguably the hardest RB to tackle in the NFL.

When Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel was asked by Titans beat reporter Paul Kuharsky on Monday how many 5-year-olds it would take to tackle his 6-foot-3, 247-pound tailback, Vrabel put some serious thought into the question.

“A shit ton; I don’t even know if they could,” Vrabel answered, via KSR’s Tyler Thompson. “How many kids would die in the process? Do I need to give you a number, like a legitimate number? What kind of…what’s the area? Is it confined space? OK, so let’s say he’s got a 10-yard-wide space, it would probably take… 35.”

Henry even had some fun with the question, jokingly telling local reporters to bring their kids to practice so he could determine the exact number.

How many five year olds would it take to tackle Derrick Henry? @KingHenry_2 #Titans pic.twitter.com/l4QJYO7aeQ
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) July 28, 2023

Thanks to a deadly stiff-arm and his linebacker-like build, Henry is notoriously tough to bring down. He’s had 35 or more broken tackles in six of his seven seasons, including 65 or more in three of the last four years. In fact, Henry led the NFL in broken tackles for three straight seasons from 2018 through 2020.

The 29-year-old running back totaled 1,538 rushing yards last season with 1,257 of those yards coming after contact, per Pro Football Focus. His 69 broken tackles were the third-most in the league. If just Henry’s yards after contact counted, he would have only dropped from second in the league in rushing to sixth.

Since his rookie year in 2016, Henry leads the NFL with 8,335 rushing yards, per StatMuse. Perhaps even more impressively, Henry would have the third-most rushing yards over that span (7,035) if only his yards after contact were counted.

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