Following a season-threatening injury to star running back Derrick Henry, the Tennessee Titans have officially signed RB Adrian Peterson to their active roster today, per NFL reporter Mike Garafolo. Reporting that the move is permanent to the active roster specifically, Garafolo also tweeted that Peterson has, "impressed them that quickly that it's go time already."
There is optimism surrounding Henry's eventual return, but with no guarantees, Tennessee has elected to bring in the 36-year old future Hall of Famer in Peterson. Henry still leads the entire NFL in rushing by a large margin, totaling 937 yards on the ground and 10 rushing touchdowns through his first eight games of the season. He was on pace to lead the league in rushing for the third consecutive year.
While the veteran Peterson isn't the same running back he was a decade ago, obviously, he should still be considered more than serviceable for a team so heavily predicated around running the football. Last season with the Detroit Lions, Peterson rushed for 604 yards on 156 carries while nearly averaging four yards per carry. The former Vikings great also scored seven touchdowns for a struggling Lions team, so he may have something left to give Tennessee while their perennial Offensive Player of the Year candidate remains sidelined with a foot injury.
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The Titans currently sit atop the struggling AFC South with a 6-2 overall record, having already beaten the second-place Indianapolis Colts twice already this season. The other two teams in the division, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars are both in the middle of a major rebuild, each with only one win on the season.
Adrian Peterson will be asked to help manage the workload of a Titans team vying for a division crown and playoff spot, while not ruling out Henry's potential return come playoff time.