Even though Ray Lewis hasn’t played for the Ravens since 2012, he is still a valuable asset on the field. Before the veteran Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry inked a two-year, $16 million contract with the Ravens this summer, Lewis, who played his entire 17-year career in Baltimore, assisted in recruiting Henry. “I’ve been doing it for years,” Lewis remarked about pitching players to the Ravens on the Preakness Stakes red carpet on Saturday.
“He’ll be a key piece.” After spending eight seasons in Tennessee as one of the NFL’s most productive rushers, Henry, 30, joined the Ravens. He has five seasons with 1,000 yards and two league-leading running totals, the latter being in 2020 when he was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year. In a March episode of the Pivot Podcast, Henry said that the Ravens were a team he had his eye on due to their attempt to make a trade for him during the previous season’s trade deadline.
But he didn’t really understand the team’s legacy as a consistent Super Bowl contender until he spoke with Lewis at the Pro Bowl. “Dallas, being a perfect situation as well because we lived there and we ain’t got to move, but at the same time, Ravens, the history of it, and then talking to Ray at the Pro Bowl, just his passion about the organization, his impact there and how he talked about it, I was like, ‘If I’m not in Tennessee or I don’t get to go to Dallas, I would love to be a Raven,” Henry recalled.
“I’m glad it worked out.” Along with wide receiver Zay Flowers, who finished the 2017 season with 858 receiving yards as a rookie, and the current NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, Henry will provide a special aspect to the Ravens’ attack.
Since Mark Ingram in 2019, Baltimore has not had a running back end a season with more than 200 carries. It has been seven years since Henry last recorded less than 200 carries. Lewis described Henry’s attitude to the Ravens as “the reason why we got him.” “Man, it’s the mindset. At this point, you have two distinct perspectives on the game, correct? The game you have states, “don’t touch.” Then there’s Derrick Henry, who exhorts you to “be touched.” That is the mindset I want to adopt.”
Last season, the Ravens’ offense was among the best in football, averaging 370.4 yards per game and 28.4 points, enough for fourth place in the NFL. The system became more pass-heavy under newly appointed offensive coordinator Todd Monken, as Jackson achieved career highs in completions (307) and throwing yards (3,678). But Jackson’s ability to run assured that their attack still relied heavily on the ground game—at least, it did until the AFC title game. In their 17-10 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, who went on to win the Super Bowl, the Ravens called just eight planned runs.
It is unlikely that such an abnormality will recur with Henry in the backfield. The Ravens are hoping that his presence alone will create opportunities for the rest of the offense to thrive as they started organized team activities on Monday. Flowers remarked, “It’s going to make it easier for me,” as she and teammate Malik Cunningham watched the Preakness.
We have weapons, so I’m really curious to see how our chemistry develops, but I think he simply brings a certain mindset that screams, ‘I’m an old-school player.’ It’s a modern game. Derrick Henry is an example of an old-school athlete.”
