The Baltimore Ravens have signed running back Derrick Henry on the second day of NFL free agency, nabbing the All-Pro talent they previously tried acquiring at the NFL trade deadline.
Henry, age 30, had previously spent his entire career with the Tennessee Titans. Selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, he earned four Pro Bowl selections, twice was named an All-Pro and won NFL Offensive Player of the Year in Tennessee. He leaves the franchise second on the all-time career rushing yards list (9,502), 508 yards short of overtaking Eddie Georgia.
- Derrick Henry stats 2023:Â 1,167 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 4.2 yards per carry, 28 receptions, 214 receiving yards, 7.6 yards per reception
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The 6-foot-3 running back generating significant interest on the open market, including from the Houston Texans. However, the opportunity to join a Super Bowl contender and be in a backfield with quarterback Lamar Jackson led him to Baltimore.
As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Henry is signing a two-year contract with Baltimore worth $16 million. The deal includes $9 million fully guaranteed and will top out at a $20 million contract total if he hits all of his incentives.
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Henry was one of the best running backs available in NFL free agency this offseason, but he’s the last of the high-profile players to come off the market
- Baltimore Ravens rushing stats 2023: 156.4 rushing yards per game (1st in NFL), 8.5 rushing first downs per game (3rd in NFL), 5 yards per carry (3rd in NFL), 49.92% rushing percentage (1st)
On Monday, Tony Pollard signed with the Tennessee Titans, D’Andre Swift inked a deal with the Chicago Bears, Austin Ekeler signed with the Washington Commanders, Saquon Barkley joined the Philadelphia Eagles and Aaron Jones was released after the Green Bay Packers signed All-Pro Josh Jacobs. Early Tuesday, Cincinnati traded Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans.
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How Derrick Henry impacts the Ravens’ impact
Even with the schematic change from play-caller Greg Roman to offensive coordinator Todd Monken in 2023, the Baltimore Ravens still operated as the most run-dominant team in the NFL. They lost starting running back J.J. Dobbins to an Achilles tear in Week 1, leading to a running back committee.
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Jackson finished as the team’s leading rusher with 821 yards, also recording the team-high in yards per carry (5.5) with the second-most first downs (48). Gus Edwards, who signed with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, finished second in rushing (810) while rookie Keaton Mitchell had the third-most yards (396).
While Baltimore relied on a backfield committee last season, that will change under Henry’s arrival. While the 30-year-old won’t see the volume of touches he received with Tennessee, averaging 329 touches per season from 2019-2023, he will get at least 250-plus carries next season in Baltimore.
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While Henry is no longer the best running back in the NFL and his effectiveness has dipped a bit with age, he was still highly productive in his age-29 season. Running behind the worst offensive line in football last year, he ranked ninth in evaded tackles (59) and recorded the eighth-highest breakaway run rate (5.7 percent) with 16 breakaway runs.
Among starting running backs with 175-plus carries, Henry posted the sixth-highest yards after contact per attempt (3.32) and he recorded 23 runs of 10-plus yards, per Pro Football Focus.
With wide receiver still a weakness on the Raven’s roster, Baltimore should remain a run-heavy team in 2024. It will further strengthen the play action, coming off a season that saw Jackson post a 121 QB rating (3rd) with 1,448 passing yards (5th) and 10 passing touchdowns (5th) on play-action attempts.
