As we get set for training camp, we’re exploring five questions this week surrounding the team.
Today’s topic: How does Derrick Henry change the offense?
Will the Ravens run the ball more?
The Ravens led the league in rushing attempts last season with 541, but the way the AFC Championship played out, with just six carries by the running backs, left them with an offseason taste in their mouth that they should have run it more.
Enter Henry, who has led the league in carries four of the past five seasons – every year he was healthy since 2019. While Henry’s rushes dropped from 349 in 2022 to 280 last year, he was still the NFL’s preeminent bellcow back.
The Ravens haven’t had a clear No. 1 running back since Mark Ingram II in 2019, which was also the last time Baltimore had a 1,000-yard rusher at tailback. The Ravens haven’t had a single halfback play more than 50% of the snaps over the last eight seasons, per Next Gen Stats. That figures to change with Henry on-board.
Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken said during Organized Team Activities that he would love it if Henry gets 300 carries this season, but it’s unclear if that was more a statement about wanting to preserve leads or projected consistent usage.
“I know this: If [Henry] carries it 300 times, we’re having a helluva year,” Monken said. “It means we’re running it a lot. It means we’re up in games. We want him to finish, [and] we want him to be the closer.”
Will the Ravens use less shotgun formation?
No team has run more plays out of shotgun or pistol formation than the Ravens. They have used it 915 of the time over the past five seasons.
Henry, however, is accustomed to running out of more traditional pro-style formations where he can build up a head of steam. He has posted more yards than any other player when the quarterback is under center.
Baltimore had the fourth-fewest runs from under center in the NFL in 2023. When the Ravens signed Henry, even Running Backs Coach Willie Taggart wasn’t sure how it would work out.
“Watching the film in Tennessee, that was a concern; like, ‘We’re in the [shotgun], and we run from the gun, and how would Derrick be in it?'” Taggart said. “I’m not going to lie, I questioned that, until he got here, and [I saw] the big man move his feet.”
Coming out of minicamp, Taggart said he doesn’t have any concerns about Henry’s ability to adapt to the Ravens’ running style, or Baltimore doing more of what has suited Henry. The question is how much each bends to suit the other.
“Derrick is an athlete. He’s a big athlete,” Taggart said. “I don’t think he’ll have any problem with anything we ask him to do.”
Will Henry open up more for Lamar?
Jackson has long been the center of opposing defense’s attention in Baltimore. So has Henry in Tennessee. Put them on the field together and defenses have a two-pronged problem.
Edge defenders always have a tough assignment against the Ravens because they have to read and quickly decide whether to crash down on the run or maintain outside leverage in hopes of preventing Jackson from getting the edge.
Henry is the kind of back that can turn that split second of hesitation into a long touchdown if defenders don’t play it correctly. Conversely, Jackson has dropped weight to become more agile and explosive as a runner. If opponents are forced to crash down on Henry, Jackson is preparing to make them pay with big runs of his own.
Henry’s presence could also force opponents to commit more defenders near the line of scrimmage, which could open up the passing game for Jackson. Asked if Henry’s addition will take the focus off him, Jackson smiled during minicamp and said, “Absolutely.”