Derrick Henry's Offseason Routine Has Changed

Newborn daughter costs Titans running back some sleep, takes up time in his days.

As the NFL’s virtual offseason progressed, Derrick Henry was forced to alter his daily routine.

The Tennessee Titans running back talked about a recent change to his home life on the latest edition of Cold As Balls: Cold Calls from Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud, which debuted Tuesday on YouTube.

In the roughly 11-minute segment, which was taped last month, Henry discussed how his daughter, Valentina Allure Henry, born on May 18, immediately changed things. Mostly, it cost him some sleep but also gave him something else to do as he awaits the start of his fifth NFL season.

“If I ain’t holding my daughter or feeding her, I just chill [or] work out,” Henry told the popular comic actor.

Among other things, Hart inquired about Henry’s early days in the league after the Titans selected the him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Henry has been the team’s leading rusher each of the last three seasons and led the league with 1,540 yards in 2019.

“Mainly my attitude was just, earn your respect,” Henry said. “When you come into the NFL, you’ve got to earn your stripes. It’s basically like starting over, just like with college.”

Speaking of college, he made it sound as if he quite enjoyed his three years at the University of Alabama, where he became the Crimson Tide’s career rushing leader (3,591 yards), the country’s leading rusher and Heisman Trophy winner in 2015 and played on a national championship team.

“It’s basically, you’re a pro and everything,” Henry said. “That’s all you know is football. They treat you like royalty out there from the time you get on campus. But, when you elevate your game, as a player it just gets better.”

The two also discussed – in a manner of speaking – Henry’s record-tying 99-yard touchdown run against Jacksonville in 2018, how family ties influenced his desire to play running back and some of the nicknames by which he is known.