Ravens OC Reveals Plan for Derrick Henry

The Baltimore Ravens want to make sure their new top running back stays healthy.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) waves to fans as he exits the field after defeating Jacksonville Jaguars 28-20 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA

Purple is a color often associated with royalty, and now Derrick Henry, also known as "King Henry," will wear the color for the Baltimore Ravens.

A two-time rushing champion and arguably the NFL's best running back over the past half decade, Henry spent the first eight years of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Now, he heads to the other side of the rivalry and joins a Ravens offense that already led the league in rushing last season. The 30-year-old may have a lot of mileage on him with 9,502 career rushing yards, but he's still a tremendous weapon that will make Baltimore that much more dangerous.

With all that wear and tear, though, the Ravens may have to be careful with his workload. On Thursday, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken shared that while he'd love for Henry to be a workhorse, keeping him healthy is the team's top priority.

"Well, if he carries it 300 times, we're having a helluva year. I can tell you that. It means we're running it a lot; it means we're up in games," Monken told reporters. "We want him to finish. We want him to be the closer.

"But first and foremost, we want him to make it through the season. It's a long season -- 17 games. We'll see how that goes. He's been so durable ... but I still anticipate the same of using all of our backs."

Henry had 280 carries last season, but had over 300 in three of the four prior seasons. Even in 2021, the one season he didn't hit that mark, he had 219 carries in just eight games before going down with a foot injury.

It's also worth noting that a good chunk of Henry's yards come after contact, adding even more wear and tear on his body.

Henry has been extremely reliable despite his huge workload, playing in at least 15 games each season except for one. While the Ravens may need to be careful with Henry, the reward for using him correctly is astronomically high.

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