Four-Time Pro Bowl Running Back Derrick Henry Signs with the Ravens

NFL

Despite a disappointing 2023-24 season for the Tennessee Titans, who finished with a 6-11 record and missed out on the playoffs for the second straight season. Four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry continued to assert his dominance as one of the league’s top backs this past season, as he finished with over 1,000 rushing yards for the fifth time in his career. Henry entered the offseason as a free agent for the first time in his career, as there was plenty of speculation regarding the likelihood of the Titans re-signing Henry to a long-term deal. Now, that speculation has been put to bed as Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens on a two-year 16 million 16-million-dollar deal with the chance to earn 20 million with incentives.

Henry, who was drafted by the Titans in 2016, had been the heart and blood of the Titans since coming into the league. Over Henry’s 8-year tenure with the Titans, the veteran running back has racked up 9,502 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns, while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Henry was a backup for the majority of his first two seasons in the NFL before becoming the featured back for the Titans in the latter part of the 2018 campaign. Throughout the 2019 season, he topped the NFL in both running yards and rushing touchdowns. Henry would once more top the league in running yards and touchdowns in 2020. He would also become the second Tennessee Titan and the eighth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season. The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award went to Henry in 2020. Following two seasons in which he missed over half of the 2021 season due to injury, he was selected to the Pro Bowl in three out of four seasons.

While playing in 17 games this past season, Henry, nicknamed “King Henry,” ran the ball for 1,167 yards on 280 carries. He had 12 rushing touchdowns and had 28 targets for 214 passing yards. In his last game with the Titans, Henry put together his best performance of the season, as he rushed for 153 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. The dominant performance by Henry to end his career with Tennessee led to the elimination of their divisional rival Jacksonville Jaguars from playoff contention as well. With plenty of gas in the tank left, the Ravens will be getting a workhorse in the backfield that will continue to have a notable impact on their team’s performance heading into the 2024-25 season. 

Jackson Howard

Budding sports writer who graduated from Salisbury University in December 2023 with a degree in Communication

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