Ravens' Derrick Henry Still Has Plenty To Give

Even after turning 30, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry still feels he has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Jon Alfano | Jun 12, 2024

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) evades Carolina Panthers cornerback David Long Jr. (20) during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA

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Baltimore Ravens

Running backs have a notoriously short shelf life in the modern NFL, so based on that fact alone, the Baltimore Ravens signing the 30-year-old Derrick Henry to a two-year deal this offseason may seem questionable.

However, Henry is no ordinary running back. The eight-year veteran is essentially a human bowling ball on the field, running over defenders with his unique blend of size and speed. Now, he joins the league's best rushing offense from last season, and that's a scary prospect for any opposing defenses.

For any opponents hoping to see Henry slow down as he enters his 30s, it seems they will have to wait a little bit longer.

"I have mad respect for him and all the things he's accomplished, and I still see he has a lot of tread left on the tire, so I'm just excited for him to show the world exactly what he can do," Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith told reporters Tuesday. "Lining up across from him is a lot different than lining up to go to war with him."

Last season, the longtime Tennessee Titans running back had a "down" year by his standards as he rushed for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per carry. If that's a subpar year for him, then the Ravens have a special player on their hands.

One valid concern with Henry's age is his workload, as he's led the league in carries in four of the past five seasons (and the one he didn't was when he was injured for half the year). Even still, Henry believes he can be just as impactful with a smaller volume of carries.

"I'm going to try to take advantage of my opportunities; I'm not going to say, 'No, I'm not going to be impactful.' I expect to be impactful every time I touch the ball each and every Sunday – or whatever gameday it is or whatever day it's on – and have an impact and do my job the best way I know how," Henry told reporters.

Joining a new team for the first time in a long NFL career can be somewhat daunting, but at the end of the day, football is football for Henry.

"Yes, I think me just doing my job and executing, being efficient and everything that I do, so we help one another ... My job is being explosive, making explosive runs, being a threat in the run game and anywhere else they ask me to help out this offense," Henry said. "So, it's just [on] me [to] focus on doing my job, just so I'm a threat to opposing defenses."

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Published Jun 12, 2024

JON ALFANO