Ravens’ Henry tells doubters to ‘keep watching’

Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterMar 14, 2024, 02:25 PM ET
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Only three questions into his introductory news conference with the Baltimore Ravens, Derrick Henry addressed the biggest concern about his future.

What was the star running back’s response to those who say his best days are behind him?

“Tell them to keep watching,” Henry said Thursday. “People always going to have something to say — always going to have opinions. I’m just ready to work, ready to get things started and do my best to help this organization.”

One of the NFL’s most dominant runners over the past eight seasons, Henry officially signed his two-year, $16 million contract with the Ravens. He’s finished with over 1,100 yards rushing and double-digit touchdowns in each of the past two seasons, but he turned 30 in January — an age when running backs can experience a decline in play.

In the Super Bowl era, there have been 26 running backs who have recorded 1,000-yard rushing seasons after turning 30, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Of those 26 backs, 13 of them gained over 1,000 yards rushing multiple times in their 30s.

The Ravens expressed confidence in Henry, who was their first addition in free agency this year.

“He’s kind of a unicorn, to be honest,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. “It’s a combination of speed, power, durability.”

Over the past five seasons, Henry has shown that speed and power, leading running backs in most rushing yards after first contact and most touches reaching at least 20 miles per hour. His 3,527 yards rushing after first contact are 932 more than any other running back since 2019, and his 22 touches of reaching at least 20 mph are more than Saquon Barkley (18) and Jonathan Taylor (17) over that span.

Henry has also proved to be one of the most dependable running backs, playing at least 15 games in seven of his eight seasons in the league.

“Those kind of guys are rare,” DeCosta said. “We’ve had some here in Baltimore. They’re just different from everybody else, and I think Derrick’s a good example of that.”

DeCosta said the Ravens tried to acquire Henry before last year’s trade deadline, and the four-time Pro Bowler said he thought there was a “good chance” he was coming to Baltimore at the end of October. About five months later, the Ravens landed Henry to a deal that could be worth up to $20 million, including $9 million guaranteed in the first year, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“When you evaluate the tape, you watch the player, you see the history of the player, you talk to people who have been around the player, it made all the sense in the world for us to target Derrick,” DeCosta said.

Henry agreed to a deal with the Ravens on Tuesday, the second day of the NFL’s negotiating window in free agency.

At that point, 10 other running backs had agreed to contracts with other teams, but Henry said there was no doubt that he was ending up in Baltimore.

“It really was a no-brainer for me,” Henry said. “This is where I knew I wanted to be. I love the style, the physicality that they play with on all three phases. I feel like it fits my style of play as well.”

Henry was dressed in a purple suit jacket with a black shirt and tie, which is what he wore to his grandmother’s funeral in 2016. Purple was the favorite color of his grandmother, who raised him.

When Henry was told about a news conference for the Ravens, he scrambled through moving boxes to find this suit.

“I definitely wanted to wear this color to honor her and show all the fans around Flock Nation that I’m ready,” Henry said, “I’m on board.”