The Baltimore Ravens may have had the best signing this past off-season with running back Derrick Henry. Otherwise known as King Henry, and for good reason. NFL fans may be watching one of the last truly great running backs of our time. Although Henry has enjoyed a very successful first season in Baltimore, are we watching the final years of a first-ballot Hall of Famer?
Little has been able to slow Henry down this season, becoming the first player in NFL history to score a touchdown in each of his first eight games with a team. Collecting three Offensive Player of the Week awards along the way, the three came in back-to-back weeks in fact. The first time any player has done that in Baltimore Ravens history.
Derrick Henry Impact on the Ravens
Derrick Henry joining the Ravens seemed like a match made in heaven. His aggressive running style coexists nicely with Baltimore’s tough punch you in the mouth mentality. Henry currently is the top performing back in the NFL, with 1,120 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in only ten games. On top of that, he has been a weapon out of the backfield catching 10 passes for 96 yards and two more touchdowns. Right now, the former Alabama star is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 112 yards per game. With his longest run of the season being an 87-yard touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills.
The Baltimore offense doesn’t just benefit from Henry being able to run the ball. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has been having his best season to date with the Ravens. Jackson has been able to pass for 2,669 yards and leads the league with 24 touchdown passes to only two interceptions. While adding 538 rushing yards and two scores of his own. Henry’s presence alone, has opened up a new level to Jackson’s game. If Jackson wasn’t playing at the high level he is, we may be talking about Henry as the MVP favorite instead of him.
The regular season still has eight weeks to go, but as of right now Henry is on pace to become the oldest (30) running back in NFL history to win Offensive Player of the Year. His only main competition for the award is fellow running back Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles. This season in large part to the rushing attack, the Ravens offense has been one of the most dominant in the NFL.
King Henry’s Career
Derrick Henry was drafted in second round of the 2016 NFL Draft to the Tennessee Titans. Coming from Alabama and playing under then Head Coach Nick Saban, the Titans knew Henry could be a difference maker. Little did they know, he would become one of the most prolific running backs in Titans history. Henry would spend eight seasons in Tennessee before signing with the Ravens in the off-season.
Over Henry’s illustrious career he has rushed for 10,622 yards and 102 touchdowns. This makes him one of only 13 players to eclipse both the 10,000 yard and 100 touchdown marks in a career. During his time in Tennessee, Henry became one of only eight players to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. Earning him Offensive Player of the Year honors as well as being named First Team All-Pro.
As Henry’s career starts approaching its end, people start to think about what comes next. There is no doubt the former Titans back will be in the Hall of Fame; the matter comes down to when. There is a strong case here that Derrick Henry could be a first-ballot Hall of Fame running back. If the Baltimore Ravens are able to add a Super Bowl ring to Henry’s list of accomplishments, there really is no doubt he is deserving of being a first ballot selection.
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