Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry will be involved in the team's passing game in his first year with the team in 2024. Henry caught a couple passes out of the backfield from quarterback Lamar Jackson during organized team activities this week, and he did more pass-catching in the last couple years with the Tennessee Titans, catching 33 passes for 398 yards in 2022 and 28 passes for 214 yards last year. He had never reached 20 receptions in a season before that in his career. Despite all the tread on Henry's tires at this point in his career, it sounds as though the Ravens aren't putting a cap on his workload in 2024 as they try to get over the hump to reach the Super Bowl. Henry will start to become more of an injury risk at the 30-year-old mark, but you can't ignore the fact he's led the league in rushing in four of the last five seasons. As long as his workload remains hefty, Henry will be an RB1 in fantasy.
Ravens Not Putting A Cap On Derrick Henry's Workload
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry has been one of the busiest ball-carriers in the NFL since earning the clear RB1 role with the Tennessee Titans in 2019. Since Week 1 of the 2019 campaign, he's tallied 1,645 total touches, 7,209 rushing yards, 1,086 receiving yards, and 68 touchdowns. He led the league in carries in four of the last five seasons and is entering his age-30 campaign. However, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken declined to put a cap on his workload in his first season with the Ravens in 2024. "Well, if he carries it 300 times, we're having a helluva year. I can tell you that. It means we're running it a lot; it means we're up in games," Monken said. "We want him to finish. We want him to be the closer." He mentioned that the team wants to ensure he stays healthy through 17 games and will use other running backs in the offense, but it sounds like he'll continue to be a high-volume rusher. Although Henry seems to have lost a step in his long speed and efficiency, he should have plenty of goal-line opportunities on a team that has scored the sixth-most touchdowns (249) over the last five years, and he continues to possess RB1 upside thanks to volume.
Ravens Offense To Take On A Different Look With Derrick Henry
With running back Derrick Henry joining the Baltimore Ravens offense this offseason, they will have a new look in 2024. Quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second MVP award in 2023 with career-highs in passing yards (3,678) and completion percentage (67.2%). He also led all QBs with 821 rushing yards, and his ability to stress opposing defenses with his rushing ability is something the Ravens don't want to go away. With five 1,000-yard rushing seasons and almost 10,000 career yards, Henry is the most accomplished RB Jackson has played with. "I don't see us going towards like [a] specific offense that runs those more than anybody else. RPOs will be a part of what we're doing, for sure, but they're not going to be the main part of what we're doing," head coach John Harbaugh said. Although Henry is on the backside of his career, he'll continue to have RB1 appeal in fantasy in Baltimore's offense, but his presence could mean fewer designed runs for Jackson.
Free-agent running back Derrick Henry is expected to sign a two-year, $16 million deal worth up to $20 million with the Baltimore Ravens, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. King Henry is set to be a full-fledged workhorse in Baltimore's offense, as J.K. Dobbins is a free agent, Gus Edwards signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, and Keaton Mitchell is coming off a late-season torn ACL. The four-time Pro Bowler and former 2,000-yard rusher posted 1,167 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in one of the worst offenses in the NFL last year. Paired with Lamar Jackson and a superior offensive line, he could be set up for yet another 1,000-yard, double-digit touchdown campaign. His receiving upside will be limited with Jackson, but that hasn't been a strength of his anyway. Despite recently turning 30 years old, an RB1 season in fantasy football is well within reach in 2024.
Both the Baltimore Ravens and free-agent running back Derrick Henry have mutual interest in working something out, according to a source, but an agreement still needs to be reached. Henry wasn't never expected to re-sign with the Tennessee Titans, and that especially won't be the case now that Tony Pollard has joined the Titans. Besides, at this point in his career, King Henry wants to play for a contender, and the Titans don't qualify. The Ravens certainly do, though, and they just lost Gus Edwards to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency on Monday, so Henry makes a ton of sense for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Henry isn't getting any younger and is probably past his prime, but he could do some serious damage on the ground alongside quarterback Lamar Jackson if he were to join the Ravens.
The Tennessee Titans are not in on re-signing running back Derrick Henry, which was backed up by the fact that they have reached a verbal agreement to sign free-agent running back Tony Pollard on Monday. The Titans also checked out D'Andre Swift before he agreed with the Chicago Bears. After signing Pollard, they are fully expected to muscle up on the offensive line and receiver positions in free agency. Henry was never really expected to be much of an option to return to Tennessee with a new regime in town. The 30-year-old four-time Pro Bowler had over 1,000 rushing yards for the fifth time in the last six years in 2023, adding 12 rushing touchdowns in 17 games. He may be past his prime heading into his age-30 campaign, but he still has the ability to put up RB1 numbers in fantasy, especially if he goes to a contending team like the Texans or Eagles.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, impending free-agent running back Derrick Henry isn't expected to remain with the Titans. Although this isn't a new revelation, it reinforces what has appeared to be in the works for quite some time. The 30-year-old has been a potent presence for fantasy managers, running for 9,502 yards and 90 touchdowns off 2,030 carries in 119 regular season games. During that span, he added 155 catches for 1,458 yards and three touchdowns. It's important to note that while Henry isn't young, he finished the 2023-24 campaign by surpassing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the fifth time in his career. Even better, he stayed healthy. Nonetheless, Fowler added that the door isn't closed for Henry to remain in Tennessee, considering the team has the money. However, the All-Pro wants a ring, meaning it may benefit him to go elsewhere. But fantasy managers shouldn't dismiss him completely, no matter where he ends up, especially since he could have a few more productive years left.
While it's unlikely that the Tennessee Titans re-sign impending free-agent running back Derrick Henry this offseason, they aren't completely closing the door on his return yet. A four-year, $50 million deal Henry signed with the Titans in 2020 is set to expire when the new league year opens on March 13. The 30-year-old isn't getting any younger, but he still managed 1,167 rushing yards (second in the NFL) in 2023 behind a subpar offensive line. Henry is chasing a Super Bowl ring at this point in his career, and he'll have a better chance at that somewhere besides Tennessee. In addition, under new head coach Brian Callahan, the Titans figure to be more of a passing offense. The four-time Pro Bowler and former Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 has lots of miles on his body and could begin to start breaking down as he enters his 30s. But in the right situation in 2024, he could still find RB1 appeal in fantasy.
The Tennessee Titans won't use their franchise tag on impending free-agent running back Derrick Henry this year, according to league sources. With a new coaching staff coming in this offseason, it wasn't expected that the Titans would make much of an effort to retain King Henry as he heads into his age-30 season. The former second-rounder in 2016 out of Alabama has been a Pro Bowler in four of the last five seasons, although he showed some signs of decline in 2023. He had a league-high 280 carries for 1,167 yards (career-low-tying 4.2 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns, adding 28 catches for 214 yards and no touchdowns as a pass-catcher. Henry may not age gracefully, but he should still have plenty of fantasy appeal in 2024 with a contending team.
New Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said that he'd be fine with impending free-agent running back Derrick Henry returning in 2024. "A player like Derrick Henry fits into any offense. If he's open to a return, that fits for us. I'm never going to reject good players. There's no offense that would say I wouldn't went Derrick Henry," Callahan said. The former Bengals offensive coordinator preferred to lean on the pass in his time in Cincinnati with quarterback Joe Burrow, so it's pretty unlikely that Henry returns to the rebuilding Titans in 2024 and beyond. The 30-year-old is entering the back stretch of his career and will probably prefer signing with a contending team, so we'd be surprised if he returns to Tennessee. King Henry has passed the peak of his powers, but he still finished second in the NFL in rushing yardage in 2023 with 1,167.
