Ravens Landed NFL's Best Offseason Signing

Derrick Henry has been everything the Baltimore Ravens could have hoped and then some this season.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Few free-agent deals made more sense than the Baltimore Ravens signing running back Derrick Henry this offseason.

It was just a matter of him being able to stay healthy and bucking the trend of running backs slowing down once they reach 30 years old. If Henry could do that, Baltimore had a shot to have one of the league's most formidable tandems in the backfield with him and Lamar Jackson.

Henry has lived above and beyond any expectations anyone could have projected for him upon joining the Ravens and has been the best free agent signing from last offseason. He's in the running to win his second Offensive Player of the Year award and may find his way into the MVP race if he keeps up at the pace he's on.

Exactly how good has Henry been through seven games?

Henry leads the NFL in the following categories: Rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards per run, yards from scrimmage and touchdowns. He also has the longest run this season with his 87-yard rushing touchdown in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills on the Ravens' opening play from scrimmage.

Henry has run for 873 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He's surpassed 130 rushing yards in four of Baltimore's seven games this season and he had scored a rushing touchdown in every game until its 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, though, he had his second receiving touchdown of the game.

Henry ran for 169 yards on 15 carries against Tampa Bay, who had a top-10 rushing defense heading into the matchup.

While Henry's play proves how good of a deal it was for the Ravens to sign him, the value they got for him easily makes him one of the best signings in recent memory. Henry's two-year $16 million deal was tied for 59th in value in free agency. Among running backs, Henry ranked sixth, trailing players D'Andre Swift (Chicago Bears), Tony Pollard (Tennessee Titans) and Devin Singletary (New York Giants).

The only other free agent who has made anywhere near the same impact as Henry is Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney, who has five interceptions through seven games. Even then, the All-Pro running back is operating on a different level compared to other running backs.

Every free agent deal comes with its question marks, but through seven games, Henry has easily been the best signing of the offseason. If he keeps on this pace, the Ravens may have a pair of MVP candidates on their team during the home stretch of the season.

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