Entering his second season in the NFL, former Alabama RB Derrick Henry may feel ready for a breakout season. He learned the ropes as a rookie with the Tennessee Titans, logging 110 carries for 490 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Titans lead running back in 2016 was DeMarco Murray, and it’s expected to stay that way in 2017. In the opinion of NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, the key for Henry in Year 2 is to be patient.

“And I think Derrick, he just has to be patient, and his time will come,” Davis told Titans.com senior writer Jim Wyatt. “He knew going in that they had DeMarco, when he got drafted there. He just has to make the best of it, the chances he gets. It’s all he can do. And if the coaches see fit that he should be the starter, they can make that decision. But I wouldn’t get discouraged, and hopefully he is not.”

Henry is in a tough spot. The average career of an NFL running back is only three seasons. As a Heisman Trophy winner and second-round draft pick, Henry is obviously thought of as an above average running back. At a speed-oriented position like running back, youth is seen as a valuable attribute, making it difficult to hang around in the league as a veteran backup.

To their credit, the Titans are using Henry. The tandem of Murray and Henry is often described as a one-two punch. Henry obviously hopes to see the distributions of carries drop from almost 3:1 (293-to-110 in favor of Murray last season) and get closer to 50-50 in his second year.