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The 2023 Baltimore Ravens caught the injury bug to their running back corps that had them scrambling to fill the role. In 2024 they will need to sure up the position and one NFL analyst has an idea on how Baltimore can do that.
NFL.com analyst, and former running back, Maurice Jones-Drew wrote his “ideal team fits” for free agent running backs and believes that the Ravens would be the ideal team for Derrick Henry.
Jones-Drew writes, “With Baltimore operating a downhill run game at the center of its offense, the veteran back would fit perfectly as a physical north-south rusher who’s still capable of breaking a big gain even at 30 years old.”
Henry has played his whole career with the Tennessee Titans but is likely to be looking for a new team in the offseason.
The Ravens have had a carousel at running back this season losing J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell to season ending injuries. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill have successfully carried the load.
However, the Ravens have had to bring in Melvin Gordon, Kenyan Drake and the latest addition Dalvin Cook for depth.
“With five 1,000-yard rushing campaigns in his last six seasons, Henry’s presence would elevate the unit and make it even more of a pick-your-poison attack than it already has been in 2023 with [Lamar] Jackson’s improvement as a passer,” Jones-Drew writes.
Henry would also benefit from less stacked boxes as defenses would need to focus on the passing weapons as well as Jackson’s ability to run.
Derrick Henry to the Ravens Has Been Hinted at Before
Jones-Drew is not the first person to suggest this and there were strong rumors right before the trade deadline that Henry might be dealt.
Cole Jackson of The Russell Street Report reported on Monday, October 30, “Per sources, the #Ravens and Titans had a deal in place for Henry. That deal was vetoed by the Titans owner.”
While no other reporters corroborated the post, Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey appeared to confirm the news in the November 8 episode of his podcast, “Punch Line Podcast with Marlon Humphrey.”
Humphrey said, “I was about 85% sure King Henry would be suiting up for the Ravens.”
The latest piece of news came during January 16th’s episode of “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast with co-hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan.
Henry joined the podcast and spoke about how when the Titans traded Kevin Byard he thought he might be next.
Henry told the co-hosts, “It was close.”
While Henry did not confirm who the team was but he did say, “two for sure” when asked if they were in the playoffs and the confirmed they were in the AFC.
He did not give any more information away, but the Ravens were guessed by Compton and Lewan as one of the teams.
Would Ravens Be a Fit For “The King” Derrick Henry
The Ravens may need to overhaul their running back corps going into 2024. Jones-Drew points out that, “J.K. Dobbins (on injured reserve with a torn Achilles) and Gus Edwards (the 2023 team leader in carries and rush TDs) are set to hit free agency this offseason.”
Dobbins when healthy has been a strong contributor but the 25-year-old has struggled to stay on the field. Edwards will be entering his age 29 season by the time 2024 kicks off, so the Ravens may look to upgrade.
However, Henry is also getting up there in age as he just turned 30 years old. Further, the bell-cow has over 200 carries each season since 2018, including 219 carries during the 2021 season where he only played eight games.
With all that mileage on his legs it the drop-off could happen at any time. That being said, the RB still put up 1,167 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 280 carries this season.
The other potential issue for the Ravens could be the money. Spotrac’s market value tool only projects Henry to have a value of 1-year $4.3 million but they may be under projecting there.
The Ravens have a number of free agents they need to address and investing at the RB position may be money poorly spent.
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