(Photo: The New York Times)
To this day, Derrick Henry put together one of the greatest seasons I’ve seen from a collegiate Running Back in 2015. He became the starter after T.J. Yeldon announced he was entering his name in the NFL Draft. Not only did the Crimson Tide win the National Title, Derrick was awarded the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 2016 NFL Draft in the 45th round and it took him some time to make a name for himself. 2019 was his breakout season and he helped lead the Titans to the AFC Championship. After spending the first eight seasons of his career in Nashville, Derrick was released by the Titans and found his way to Baltimore to be a Raven. He put together a quality season in 2024 and today, he was given a contract extension to remain in Baltimore for the next two seasons. A two-year deal worth $30 million and $25 million guaranteed.
I know there were all eyes on him because he’s over the age of 30 and this is the age when most Running Backs begin to break down or their value has decreased. There’s a term affiliated with the Ravens, “Play Like a Raven” and he was a hand-in-glove fit for this football team and city. Derrick is still one of the best Running Backs in the league and when he’s healthy, what a difference he makes. Nobody standing six feet three inches tall and weighing 247 pounds should be moving as quickly as he does and to make it sound even more jaw-dropping, he’s the size of some Linebackers or defensive players, but he’s on the offensive side of the football. In all my years of watching him, I’ve stated he is a Defensive End playing Running Back. Yes, he identifies as a power back which is something you don’t see in today’s NFL, but Derrick can play small and can wiggle his way through the tightest of spaces for those tough yards. All Derrick knows is downhill and he has the power along with the grown man’s strength to power his way into the second and third levels of a defense. He’s become one of, if not the toughest non-quarterbacks to prepare for and if you know he’s on the gameplan, taking him down is one of the hardest things to do because even if you have him wrapped up, he can, has, and will carried defenders with him as he’s running for those additional yards. I’m sure teams have a moment in time when they come together and ask themselves how are we going to tackle this guy? Just as long as it’s low and not high, you have a fighting chance to take him down. Aiming for his upper body is asking for you to be stiff-armed which he takes great pleasure in doing. Derrick is the mix of speed with a nasty stiff arm and power. How rare of a combination is this with some Running Backs today either are speed guys or they’re power back and I can say King Henry is a mix of both. People see the power, but the speed is something that doesn’t get enough attention in my honest opinion, and when he breaks away and out into the open field, good luck trying to catch him. Derrick’s straight-line speed is as real as it gets.
Last season, he was one of three guys I thought could win the Offensive Player of the Year, until Saquon Barkley did what he accomplished. In just his first season with the Ravens, Derrick became the focal point of this offense and when he carried that football at least 20 times, the Ravens were in line for a win. I just knew the combination of a former Offensive Player of the Year along with a two-time MVP winning Quarterback was too good to be true and it was as good as advertised as both stars helped lead the Ravens to a division title and they were one of the best offenses in the league a season ago. With this extension, Derrick becomes the highest-paid Running Back over the age of 30.
