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On the heels of falling shy of reaching the Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens know they still have an open window to win a championship with QB Lamar Jackson.
To finally make that happen and dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs, however, Baltimore had to fill one glaring hole: Running back.
Derrick Henry instantly fills that void, and the former Offensive Player of the Year and four-time Pro Bowler comes at a team-friendly price, too.
Even though the Ravens have endured key losses — LB Patrick Queen jumping to the Steelers, for one — finding a running back to bolster the ground game and pair with Jackson was the missing piece that could get Baltimore over the hump.
Henry signed with the Ravens for $16M over two years. However, only $9M of the deal is guaranteed, meaning Baltimore could cut bait with Henry if he reaches the wall running backs often hit at 30. Henry, however, has showed he isn’t your ordinary running back.
While he will decline at some point, there are still plenty of signs that suggest Henry can be a force in the right system.
In 2023, he rushed for 1,167 yards (4.2 YPC), a dip in yards and yards per carry from 2022 (1,538, 4.4). However, he had 69 fewer carries than in 2022 and played for the struggling Titans.
Henry’s rushing total last season would have topped the 2023 Ravens, whose rushing attack was led by Jackson (821 yards).
Head coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens also have a player who sounds rejuvenated and ready to prove his doubters wrong.
“Tell them to keep watching,” Henry said at his introductory news conference in Baltimore on Thursday.
Media have praised the signing.
“What a marriage of talent and team, and 100% on brand for the Baltimore Ravens to bring Derrick Henry to ‘Bawlmer’ and roll him downhill,” said NFL Network’s Rich Eisen.
“Derrick Henry in the same backfield as Lamar Jackson is something you would piece together in a ‘Madden’ game, and now the Ravens are going to be doing it every single week,” said ESPN’s Pat McAfee, the former NFL punter.
Henry may not be the same back who once led the league in rushing in back-to-back seasons, including 2,027 yards in 2020. But if he offers Baltimore the same level of play from his most recent seasons, the Ravens’ offense will be more effective than ever.
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