Derrick Henry has been everything the Ravens hoped for — and he's just getting warmed up

12 December 2024Last Update :
Derrick Henry has been everything the Ravens hoped for — and he's just getting warmed up

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens’ offseason signing of running back Derrick Henry has already been a home run. The 30-year-old is second in the NFL with 1,407 rushing yards and is tied for the league lead with 15 touchdowns. His next score will set a franchise record for touchdowns in a season, and he’s already posted the second-most rushing yards in franchise history.

If Henry’s past is any indication, he’s just getting warmed up.

This is typically Henry’s time of year, as the weather gets colder, defenses get worn down and games rise in physicality and importance. During his nine-year NFL career, Henry has more touchdowns, more rushing yards per game and a higher yards per carry average in December than in any other full regular-season month.

The Ravens, who annually fancy themselves as Super Bowl contenders and constantly preach the importance of running the ball and playing physical in December and beyond, were well aware of Henry’s propensity to get stronger later in the year when they signed him to a two-year, $16 million deal in March.

They’ve also made sure to not put too heavy of a workload on Henry’s broad shoulders over the preceding three months. Henry has had more than 20 carries in a game just five times all season. It’s happened just twice since Week 6. He’s also played only 55 percent of Baltimore’s offensive snaps.

“Derrick hasn’t had a lot of carries, a lot of wear and tear on him this year, so I think it’s set up perfectly for him to finish the year like he’s capable of and what we expect out of him,” said Ravens running backs coach Willie Taggart. “Derrick is fresh right now, and that’s great. … I think the way he trains himself, the way he practices, the way he prepares, he’s going to be ready to finish the year like we need him to.”

The Ravens (8-5) may not need Henry to be at his best Sunday when they go on the road to face the struggling New York Giants (2-11). The Giants are allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game (141.7) and the third-most yards per carry (4.9). With three games in 11 days, the Ravens would probably like nothing more than to get out to an early lead on the Giants and not have to tax any of their offensive standouts. That formula could mean a heavy workload for Henry early in the game.

Six days after facing the Giants, the Ravens play the Pittsburgh Steelers in a matchup that figures to go a long way in deciding the AFC North. Four days after that, they head back on the road for a Christmas afternoon tilt against the AFC South-leading Houston Texans.

With the league’s second-best run game, the Ravens have reaped rewards from the Henry addition all season. It would hardly be surprising if they lean on him even more to get them through this upcoming stretch.

“We’re going to try to run the ball as much as we can, and so much of running the ball has to do with how many plays you get, and getting in a rhythm, and getting an opportunity to call more plays,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “Derrick is our lead back, obviously, and he only gets stronger as the game goes on, so we want to run the ball.”

Henry reported back to the team facility on Monday following the bye week. Gone were his trademark long dreadlocks. In were tight cornrows. It’s a fresh new look for a player whose reputation this time of year is hard-earned.

Henry is a finisher, and that not only applies to his ability to break off a decisive late run to help seal a game. It applies to his penchant for being in top form late in the season. In 31 career December games, he’s rushed for 2,769 yards on 545 carries, which equates to 5.1 yards per carry. He also has 30 December touchdowns.

There has been plenty said and written about Henry’s maniacal workout regiment and just how meticulous he is about preparing his body and mind so that he’s at his best through the long football season. That’s a good starting point in explaining his December success. He’s also been quite good in January, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and 144.3 rushing yards in four career games.

The other part of the explanation is based on common sense. It can’t be a lot of fun for defensive players, already tired and banged up from a long season, to have to tackle a sculpted 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back 20-plus times, particularly in cold temperatures and on hard fields.

The Ravens have been on the other end of that. Now, they have the opportunity to unleash Henry after three months of consistent yet measured workloads. Harbaugh said from the beginning that Henry wouldn’t be a 30-carry guy in Baltimore’s offense. It’s not that the Ravens didn’t believe he was capable of that. They just were determined to maintain a more balanced approach and get several players consistently involved.

Henry’s only reached 25 carries once so far this season. There have been games where Henry has even been outsnapped by his veteran backup Justice Hill, whose ability to pick up blitzes and be a receiving threat has been utilized by offensive coordinator Todd Monken in two-minute and third-down situations.

Henry is third in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley and Los Angeles Rams’ Kyren Williams with his 240 rushing attempts, an average of 18.5 per game. Still, he’s not been asked to carry as heavy of a burden as he assumed for a chunk of his time with the Tennessee Titans. From 2019 to 2022, Henry averaged just over 23 carries per game. He also was on the field for 67 percent of the Titans’ offensive snaps during that span.

The Ravens, though, have taken the longer view, while Henry has made it clear he’ll be ready for whatever the team needs. On one of the first nights of last week’s bye, he texted Taggart to tell his position coach that he was still mad about the mistakes he made in the loss to the Eagles. He’s now had over a week to stew over them.

For Henry, it’s bring on the Giants. It’s bring on the rest of December.

“He wants the ball,” Taggart said. “Derrick wants the ball whenever. Whether it’s the beginning of the game, at the end of the game, at halftime, after the game, he wants the ball.”

(Top photo: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)