Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens could prove to be a match made in heaven, according to NFL.com's Judy Battista.
Henry joined the Ravens on a two-year, $16 million contract this past offseason, bringing one of the NFL's most dominant running backs to one of the league's premier smashmouth teams.
And though Henry is 30 with a lot of miles under his belt, Battista believes he is still in line for a big season.
In a list of bold predictions for the 2024 season, Battista predicted that Henry will finish with 1,600 rushing yards this season.
"This is the free-agency marriage we all wanted, and the Ravens and Henry will be just as great a fit as we imagined. The Ravens had one of the most efficient running games last season, but introducing Henry is a game-changer. Even at 30 years old, he should lead the league in carries (as he has in four of the last five seasons) and could accumulate more rushing yards than he has in any season except 2020, his 2,000-yard effort. Yes, the Ravens lost three starting offensive linemen (tackle Morgan Moses and guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler), but they also seem to have a knack for finding and developing replacements. The Ravens had one of the league's highest-scoring offenses last season and that will be a boon for Henry. Get a lead, give him the ball, bleed the clock. That's a recipe for a Ravens playoff run."
Henry only ran for 1,167 yards and a career-low 4.2 yards per carry last season with the Tennessee Titans. However, much of that was with a rookie quarterback in the lineup, in an offense that struggled to move the ball.
Henry did produce 1,538 yards in 2022. Injuries limited him to eight games in 2021, but as Battista mentioned, he ran for 2,000 yards in 2020, the only time he has exceeded 1,600 yards in his career.
Henry's contract has incentives that would pay him $500,000 for topping 1,500 yards.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has said that he envisions Henry running for a lot of yards this season. Harbaugh suggested the Ravens will deploy some more innovative concepts to open up more room for Henry to run.
Of course, the Ravens' running back depth might be the strongest on the team. With Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell on the roster, it's possible the Ravens will limit Henry's touches to try to keep him healthy for a playoff run. And with the Ravens' tough schedule this season, it might be especially important to preserve Henry for the stretch run.
