Contract Terms
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Ravens have reportedly landed veteran running back Derrick Henry on a two-year deal for a reported $16 million. NFL Newtwork's Ian Rapoport added Henry's deal is worth up to $20 million and includes $9 million guaranteed.
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Fantasy Football Impact
As Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official website framed it: "King Henry will (reportedly) reign in Baltimore."
Mink went on to write: "While the running back market was hot at the start of the legal tampering period, the Ravens and Henry were patient, and a match made in heaven long rumored to be in the works, dating back to last year's trade deadline, came to (reported) fruition."
The move won't be official until the signing period opens Wednesday afternoon, but go ahead and assume the Ravens have landed the most productive rusher in recent NFL history and a dangerous complement to two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Footballguy Jason Wood wrote: "Henry in Baltimore is a dream outcome."
The Ravens, who led the NFL with 2,661 yards rushing last season, needed a starting running back because J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were free agents. On Monday, Edwards agreed to a two-year, $7 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley believes Henry could lessen the load for Jackson, who has led the Ravens in rushing in each of the last five seasons. In Jackson's six seasons, only one running back has gained over 1,000 yards rushing in Baltimore (Mark Ingram in 2019).
Henry has rushed for over 1,000 yards in five of his last six seasons, including topping the NFL in 2019 and 2020.
Beyond that, no running back has run for more yards than Henry since he entered the league in 2016 -- and it's not close. Henry has 9,502 rushing yards over the span, well ahead of the runner-up, Ezekiel Elliott, who has 8,904. Henry is seventh in the league in rushing yards per carry (4.7) since he entered the league (his new quarterback, Jackson, leads with 6). Henry has led the league in rushing yards per game (94) since 2018, when he became the Titans' full-time starter.
Mink acknowledged that Henry's age and workload are the questions and likely the reason he wasn't in the first wave of running back signings. He turned 30 in January and has had the most rushing attempts since 2018 (1,744). The counterpoint is that Henry has shown no signs of wearing down.
The stats and advanced metrics show that.
Last season, Henry finished second in the league in rushing yards (1,167) and tied for seventh with 12 rushing touchdowns. He had the second-most rushing yards after contact in the league (930), only trailing San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Henry's breakaway run percentage ranked sixth-best among running backs with at least 50 attempts, per PFF.
And he's still fast.
Henry hit a max speed of 21.68 mph on a run in the Titans' regular-season finale last season. Per Next Gen Stats, it was the second-fastest speed he reached in the past five seasons.
There's also reason to believe that Henry would be set up for even more success in Baltimore than he had in Tennessee. If nothing else, Tennessee's offensive line ranked 30th in run blocking on Footballguy Matt Bitonti's 2023 Offensive Line Rankings. The Ravens line ranked 7th in that same category last year.
Henry was RB22 on the initial Footballguys 2024 Draft Rankings; he'll move up to RB13 on this news. And while he's not a lock finish as an RB1 with the Ravens, he finished as RB9 with the Titans last season, and it's perfectly reasonable to draft him as one, given the circumstances. If you don't view him that way, somebody else in your league might.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
Opposing defensive coordinators will have their work cut out for them when preparing to face Jackson with Henry lined up in the same backfield. As Mink contends, "Henry's power, combined with Jackson's speed, would cause nightmares for defenses. Linebackers and safeties, in particular, have to be wary of Jackson's ability to pull the ball and beat them around the edge. That forces them to hesitate. But when Jackson hands off to Henry, any hesitation may get a defender run over."
Jackson already sits at QB2 on the Footballguys 2024 Draft Rankings, so it's hard to call him a riser here. But it's also hard not to. At the very least, Henry's arrival lends further confidence to that ranking.
In addition, imagine the challenge for opponents when Keaton Mitchell returns from the torn ACL he suffered last December. It could add a layer of intrigue for all involved down the stretch this year.
As for the passing attack, it's easy to argue a more vital ground game will benefit all involved, although it's hard to imagine any of the receiving assets here, Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, or Isaiah Likely (Odell Beckham Jr is an unrestricted free agent), gaining steam off this move.
Meanwhile, the Titans moved on from Henry on Monday by agreeing to a three-year contract with running back Tony Pollard, who will share the workload in Tennessee with Tyjae Spears. Pollard sits at RB24 and Spears at RB36 on our current rankings. It's fair to wonder how the Titans view moving on from Henry as a win.
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Overview
Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens have agreed to terms on a two-year, $16 million contract. Henry, 30, departs Tennessee after eight seasons and lands in an ideal spot. Look for the veteran running back to serve as a battering ram to complement quarterback Lamar Jackson's game-breaking speed and elusiveness. Expect Henry to move up to the top of the RB2 list, with an argument to be made for RB1 status.