King Henry's Reign in Baltimore: How Derrick Henry Will Transform the Ravens' Ground Attack
The Baltimore Ravens, who made it to the AFC Championship Game last season, are expecting great things again this year as training camp has begun for all 32 clubs. With Lamar Jackson leading the team as the starting quarterback going into his sixth full season, head coach John Harbaugh, and offensive coordinator Todd Monken have been eager to capitalize on Jackson's prime years and ultimately overcome the hump to make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in Jackson's career. After a disastrous AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs last season, in which the Ravens coaching staff completely abandoned what had gotten them to that point in the season, their premier running attack, general manager Eric DeCosta was focused this offseason on enhancing the depth and talent of the roster. In their postseason loss to the Chiefs, the Ravens, who had the best-rushing offense in the NFL, only tried 16 runs. In an attempt to make a major splash in free agency, DeCosta chose to pursue veteran running back Derrick Henry, a free agent. Henry inked a two-year, $16 million deal with the Ravens, with a potential of $20 million. With Henry now being on the team, the Ravens should hopefully avoid making the same mistakes next season.
The Ravens and Tennessee Titans were reportedly close to agreeing to a trade at the trade deadline last season involving Henry, but the Titans' owner was rumored to have vetoed the deal at the last minute. As a result, Henry's arrival to Charm City this offseason was not unexpected. However, now that Henry is wearing purple and black, the eight-year starter has a chance to drastically change the Ravens' running game as he goes into the upcoming season with a lot to prove. In his final season with the Titans, which saw the team end with a 6-11 record and last place in the AFC South, Henry's yards per carry average was 4.2 yards per attempt, the lowest since his second season. Even though Henry achieved the 1,000 season rushing yards mark for the fifth time in his career, there are now more questions about how Henry might affect the Ravens' performance because he is now 30 years old, which is considered to be the starting point for when running backs usually start to see a decline in production because of severe leg wear and tear.
While Henry is 30 years old, he has demonstrated that he has the mentality and attitude to overcome this trend with the Ravens over the next few seasons. The Ravens scored 26 rushing touchdowns last season, ranking the second-most in the NFL. Now that Henry is a part of the equation, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Ravens rushing assault produce even more with Henry and dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson guiding the way. Despite age concerns, Jackson's ability to beat you with his arm and legs, escape the pocket, and run the ball when necessary can allow Harbaugh and Monken to avoid overusing Henry and get the most out of him in short-yardage situations.
The Ravens' offense with Henry will also present a number of difficulties for opposing defenses. With a variety of pass-catching playmakers in tight ends Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and breakthrough wide receiver Zay Flowers, the Ravens' offense can give Monken several options to take advantage of the defenses' deficiencies. In the meanwhile, opposing defenses will have to weigh the pros and cons of either playing back and trying to defend the pass and letting Henry dominate and punish opponents on the ground or risk stacking the box to stop Henry and allowing Jackson to nickel and dime the middle of the field in the passing game. The addition of Henry has increased the excitement and anticipation among Ravens fans as the team has all the necessary components to make a deep playoff run next season in hopes of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since 2012. The 2024 NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 5th, with a rematch between the Ravens and Chiefs.
