Jason Wolf

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

When the Titans drafted the reigning Heisman Trophy winner for the second year in a row, Mike Mularkey had a potential problem on his hands.

The selection of bruising Alabama running back Derrick Henry in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday, coupled with the offseason trade with the Eagles to acquire 2014 rushing champ DeMarco Murray, not only served as an indictment of the stable of backs the Titans were working with last season, but threatened to create a wedge between the players now atop the depth chart at that position.

It’s a positive sign that Mularkey recognized the issue, and was proactive.

The solution, on this day, was fairly simple.

He picked up the phone.

“You know, I talked with DeMarco not long after we made the pick,” Mularkey said, assuring the running back that he remained among the team’s prized offseason acquisitions, and that he’d be heavily involved in the team’s game plan each week.

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The move immediately paid dividends.

Mularkey recounted the conversation.

“His comment was, first of all he loved the pick,” Mularkey said. “He said he’s going to make me better and I am going to do the same for him. I am going to do whatever I can to make him a great player.

“I told DeMarco, look, nothing has changed since we made the trade for you,” he said. “You’re still the guy that’s going to carry the load for us. When you need to take a break and come off the field there will be no letdown from the next one that comes in, whoever that is.

“So, that’s our mindset, and I told him that directly not soon after we made that pick so that he was clear on the direction that we were going to go with it.”

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The idea behind drafting Henry is to not only help keep both top running backs fresh, in terms of running the ball, but the Titans also saw value in using the rookie’s hulking 6-foot-2, 247-pound frame to help in pass protection.

Keeping franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota, the 2014 Heisman winner, upright is the organization’s primary objective after they allowed the most sacks in the NFL last season. Mariota missed four games with a sprained MCL in each knee, as a result of being knocked around.

Henry’s selection can also been seen as the Titans hedging against the bet they placed on Murray, when they restructured a contract that lasts four more seasons. There’s no guarantee Murray returns to his 2014 form, when he rushed for 1,845 yards on a whopping 392 carries with the Cowboys, after his precipitous decline in production last season, when he fell out of favor in Philadelphia and into a backfield committee.

Then-Eagles coach Chip Kelly, who was fired as much for his lack of people skills as the team’s losing record, didn’t adequately address the situation, as far as Murray was concerned.

Murray complained to Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie — during a flight home from a stunning victory against the Patriots in Foxborough, no less — and both the coach’s and player’s days with the organization were numbered.

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An integral responsibility of being a head coach is successfully managing the disparate array of locker room personalities. Mularkey’s actions in the immediate aftermath of a questionable and potentially trouble-raising decision can be seen as an early sign that reflects well on the Titans’ decision to remove the interim tag and keep Mularkey as coach. That decision, of course, was a gamble as well, given his record in brief head coaching stints with the Bills and Jaguars.

Mularkey recognized a potential problem in the locker room and addressed it before it developed by showing respect to a veteran player when it was clearly in the team’s best interest.

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“For that reason, you don’t do it for everybody,” Mularkey said, “but there are certain circumstances that you feel like it’s necessary to make sure you are clear on the motive and why you are doing things. Just out of respect, I wanted to do that.”

Judging by Murray’s response, it was a wise decision.

Reach Jason Wolf at jwolf@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter at @JasonWolf and on Instagram at TitansBeat.