The Baltimore Ravens actively pursued former Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry at the trade deadline during the 2023 season. General manager Eric DeCosta admitted as much yesterday after the team held a press conference to introduce Henry.
While they didn’t land him then, they signed him in free agency on a two-year deal worth reportedly $16 million. He takes the place of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, the former already gone via free agency. There’s a chance Dobbins returns—he’s recovering from another season-ending injury, but they may well simply choose to move on. They have Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell to complement Henry, though the latter is recovering from a serious injury himself.
Henry is the best pure runner of his generation, almost inarguably, with only Nick Chubb giving him competition. But he’s now 30 years old and he has more than 2,000 touches under his belt. Surely he’s past his prime, his doubters say.
“Tell them to keep watching”, he told reporters when asked about that, via the team’s website. “People are always going to have something to say. They’re always going to have opinions. I’m just here ready to work, ready to get things started, [and] do my best to help this organization”.
While he isn’t quite at the height of his powers, he showed last season that he is still an effective runner. He rushed for 1,167 yards on 280 carries with 12 touchdowns yet again making the Pro Bowl. And he did that with Ryan Tannehill and Will Levis at quarterback.
Toting the ball with Lamar Jackson at QB is a totally different ball game. Running backs benefit significantly from the threat of a true running quarterback. Defenses have to account for Jackson, the greatest running threat at quarterback in the game, freeing things up for Henry.
The Ravens ranked first in the NFL last season in attempts and rushing yards, putting up 2,661 yards on 541 attempts. They scored 26 rushing touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per rush, both top-five figures.
As usual, Jackson accounted for the most rushing yardage at 821. Edwards also contributed 810 yards, however, and scored 13 touchdowns. Between Mitchell and Hill, they netted another 783 yards and five touchdowns, managing all that with just eight carries from Dobbins.
Notably, the Ravens haven’t had a 1,000-yard running back since Mark Ingram with 1,018 in 2019. Jackon himself rushed for over 1,200 yards that same year and Edwards over 700. Baltimore set an NFL record with 3,296 rushing yards that year.
Now they have quite possibly the best running back ever in a Ravens uniform in Derrick Henry. Though no longer at his peak, playing within the Ravens’ scheme with the threat of Jackson can serve to turn the clock back some years. He should easily clear 1,000 yards in 2024 provided they give him enough touches.
