As Ravens offseason workouts begin, new RB Derrick Henry has one goal: ‘Hold that trophy up’
New Ravens running back Derrick Henry strolled out of the team’s weight room at the Owings Mills facility alongside Zay Flowers, the sleeves of his Nike workout T-shirt struggling to contain his biceps and his 6-foot-2, 247-pound frame dwarfing the second-year receiver — as well as the sun trying to poke through a nearby window.
Monday marked the start of Baltimore’s offseason workout program and Henry, when not running over and past would-be tacklers, lives to work out, so it was hardly a surprise that he was in attendance for the voluntary sessions after signing with Baltimore last month.
“I’m the new guy,” Henry said Tuesday in a soft tone that belies his size. “I wanna make sure I show up, show my teammates, show the organization that I’m committed. I wanna come and put the work in, be around my teammates and develop that relationship with them and just put the work in and work as hard as I can when I’m in the building.”
The nine-week offseason program consists of three phases — the first spans two weeks and covers strength and conditioning along with meetings; the second includes on-field workouts; and the third includes organized team activities.
All of them are voluntary, until a three-day mandatory minicamp in mid-June. But for Henry, along with quarterback Lamar Jackson, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, center Tyler Linderbuam and others, it provides a good opportunity to begin the process of a new season and put last year’s mistake-filled AFC championship game further in the rearview mirror.
“It was definitely very tough, after all you go through throughout the year physically, emotionally,” Smith said. “To come up short, it sucks.
“Obviously last season is last season. … I think everyone is very excited about what all we have coming forward, the potential that we have with this team, with added pieces, and I’m sure throughout the draft and throughout the rest of the offseason we’re gonna add more pieces.”
Henry, literally and figuratively, is the biggest one.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection and NFL leader in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2019 and 2020, he is easily the best backfield mate Jackson, the reigning and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, has had in what will be his seventh season in Baltimore. Only once in Jackson’s tenure has he had a 1,000-yard rusher (Mark Ingram II), which was in 2019, when he won his first NFL MVP award. Henry, 30, meanwhile, is one of only eight running backs to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a season, cranking out 2,027 and 17 touchdowns in 2020 when he was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year.
And while it remains to be seen how exactly the Ravens will deploy the bruising and speedy back in an offense that transitioned from a heavy ground-and-pound scheme under former offensive coordinator Greg Roman to a more spread attack under coordinator Todd Monken that resulted in Jackson throwing for a career-high 3,678 yards last season, his ability should make Baltimore much more potent in several ways. If nothing else, his presence should at least take some pressure off Jackson, who led the team in rushing again last season.
“Shoot, the guy’s very built and strong and fast,” Linderbaum said of Henry. “He’ll be a good addition for us.”
Smith was even more bullish, calling the running back’s addition “huge,” and that he’ll help the team stick to what they do best.
“Having a guy like that, anytime you need a play with him and Lamar back there, I think it’s gonna be crucial,” Smith said. “It’s gonna open up a lot for everyone. … It’s gonna be scary.”
It’s also a change for Henry.
After eight years with the Tennessee Titans and missing the playoffs each of the past two seasons with a combined 13-21 record, he’s excited about the opportunity to play alongside Jackson and for a team that had the NFL’s best record during the regular season last year.
“Lamar’s a cool guy,” Henry said. “You can tell he’s a great leader by how everybody flocks to him. He has great energy as well.
“His body of work speaks for itself.”
As does Henry’s. Among his myriad accolades, about the only thing he hasn’t done is win, or even get to, a Super Bowl. Neither, of course, has Jackson.
“I love playing this game,” Henry said when asked about his motivation at this point of his career. “I really want to hold that trophy up at the end of the year. It starts right now with putting the work in.”