The Baltimore Ravens signed running back Derrick Henry to a two-year deal worth $16 million free agency on the second day of 2024. He will slot in as the team’s No. 1 back and should give opposing defenses plenty of nightmares lining up in the same backfield as quarterback Lamar Jackson.
During Henry’s introductory press conference, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh talked about how Henry could change the team’s offense. Harbaugh said that it’s essential to try to build the offense around the players that a team has, but Henry’s versatility makes it easy to run out of a bevy of different formations.
“I think you always try to build the offense around the players that you have. What Derrick [Henry] does really exceptionally well is going to be where we’re going to move towards, but we’re versatile. We can go in a lot of different directions. That’s what Lamar [Jackson] makes us, is versatile, and I also think what we’ve been doing along those lines fit this guy [Henry] really well. It’s not just his specific talents, because he can run out of any kind of backfield. He can be in the pistol [formation]. We can be under [center]. We can be in the [shot] gun. He can move around. That’s all things that [make] him a versatile player. More than that, I just think the person [and] the guy that loves football – that fits us really well, too. He’s a tough, physical guy. You play at the high school he played at. You play at the college he played at, [and] where he’s been with [the] Tennessee [Titans] and the kind of leader he’s been. Everybody you talk to talks about him in terms of a guy who just loves football, is about football and wants to compete, wants to do his best, wants to do everything he can to help the team win. That’s what it’s all about here, and I’m most excited probably about that.”
Despite being 30 years old, Henry still has plenty left in the tank to contribute to the Ravens on the field. He should slot in seamlessly to what Baltimore wants to do, as they already excel at running the football at a high level, much like their new addition in Henry.