Some questions in life are easy, and this is one of them. Superstar running back Derrick Henry is a free agent this offseason, and rumors are circulating that the Dolphins may be a landing spot. Jeff Darlington of ESPN, a week ago on GET UP, said Miami should add the veteran running back.

If the Dolphins can add Derrick Henry, you do it.

Period. No questions. You sign him.

Of course, it comes with the caveat that it has to make some financial sense. Nobody is saying make Henry the highest-paid running back in the NFL or lock him in on a 4-year deal. But Henry will have his market of what he is worth with the various teams who need to sign him. The Dolphins have to fill various holes on the team and take care of in-house issues first like Wilkins, Hunt, Tua and others, as well as upgrade at certain spots like CB and TE, and if there is enough money after that to make it worth it for both sides, of course, you add Derrick Henry.

And I know some of you are yelling as you read this saying….“but, but we have Raheem Mostert and he scored 21 touchdowns last year, and DeVon Achane is really fast and good, why do we need Henry? Go sign another offensive lineman.”

I hear you, but you’re wrong!

Nobody is saying get rid of Mostert or Achane; it is about bringing another aspect to this Dolphins’ offense and another skill set to this Miami Dolphins running back room.

Mostert is coming off a fantastic season, but he has some red flags. For one, he will be 32 years old in April, and running backs over the age of 30 hit a wall where their production falls off. Two, Mostert’s injury history isn’t great. In San Francisco, he missed tons of games. Since being in Miami, he missed the playoff game vs the Bills due to injury; last year, in weeks 17 and 18, he missed huge, meaningful games vs Baltimore and Buffalo.

While Mostert is there for “most” of the season, the injuries have caused him to miss big games late in the season, which hurts the team when it matters most.

When it comes to DeVon Achane, it was all injuries for him as a rookie. Coming into the league, everyone knew this may be an issue as he was undersized as an NFL running back.

He was hurt in training camp and missed a large portion of camp and Week 1. He played weeks 2 through 5 and injured his MCL, which caused him to miss a month or so. He played a game against the Raiders, got injured again, and missed a game against the Jets.

And I don’t point these injuries out to put a wet blanket on Achane or to portray Mostert as a bad player I don’t want on the team. I do want them on the team, but if we are going to make a deep playoff run and have a shot at a Super Bowl, we have to be honest about what players are and are not on this current Dolphins’ roster. And neither are durable players at the running back position.

Derrick Henry, on the other hand, with the exception of 2021, where he missed half the season due to injury, is as reliable as they come. In 2019, he played in 15 games during a 16-game season. In 2020, when the NFL went to a 17-game season, he played in 16 games. In 2022, he played in 16 games, and in 2023, he played in all 17 games.

This guy is on the field for the vast majority of the season and is there in late December and January when the games count more. Not to mention, he has had double-digit rushing touchdowns every season since 2018.

He is a bruising back who can break tackles, something Miami hasn’t had since Ricky Williams many years ago.

The Dolphins need Derrick Henry more than Derrick Henry needs the Dolphins.

Another part of this is the Dolphins need to be a more physical football team, and it’s easy to say, “We must get more physical.” it’s another thing to be more physical. And there has been no more physical running back in the NFL in the past 20 years than Derrick Henry.

Under Mike McDaniel, Miami has struggled in 3rd and 1 or 2 and 4th and 1 or 2 situations. Part of it is because of McDaniel’s wacky playcalling during those moments. Now, part of the reason the playcalling may be wacky is because McDaniel doesn’t have the personnel he needs to run the ball in short yardage. Achane is undersized, Mostert is known for his speed on the outside, and Miami can’t do a “Tush Push” due to Tua and his concussion history and not wanting to push him head first into a pile where multiple players will hit him in the head.

Adding a talent like Henry will give Miami almost a cheat code on 3rd and 1 or 2 or 4th and 1 or 2, knowing you have a back who can get those tough yards between the tackles. Also, it will make McDaniel’s life easier as you don’t have to be creative on those short yardage downs and distances, and he can just keep it simple and turn and hand it off to keep drives alive.

There is an old saying: ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS! Miami can talk all day about being more physical, and yes, upgrading at guard and center will help you be more physical, but bringing in possible future hall-of-fame running back Derrick Henry, who has a track record of being the most physical running back in the league shows the world you are serious about being more physical.

It puts a player on the roster who is the epitome of physicality.

Salvon Ahmed is going to be gone, Jeff Wilson will be a salary cap cut in the coming days so Miami can get under the salary cap, Chris Brooks is an undrafted rookie but nothing more than a 4th running back on the roster,  DeVone Achane is a 3rd round pick playing on a rookie contract, and 32-year-old Mostert is making about $3 million and on the final year of his deal.

Investing in Derrick Henry on a two-year deal and paying him a fair price will give Miami a physical presence on offense in the running game; that will help them not only in 2024 and 2025 make a Super Bowl run when they are in this Super Bowl window.

This Dolphins offense has the speed, the flash, and the big play ability. But when they go on the road in December and January and in playoff games in sub-zero weather like this past season, the speed is neutralized. They need old-fashioned physical football; they aren’t built for that right now. Derrick Henry would change that.

And the only way Miami will win a Super Bowl or an AFC East is for them to become a physical football team.

So, signing Derrick Henry is a no-brainer for the Dolphins this offseason.