Derrick Henry's Value to Ravens' Super Bowl Push Goes Beyond RB's Rushing Ability

The Baltimore Raves made their first splash move of the 2024 offseason on Tuesday, agreeing to sign longtime Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.

Baltimore was in the market for a running back, as Gus Edwards agreed to join the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, and J.K. Dobbins is also an unrestricted free agent. Landing Henry, though, wasn't cheap.

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Henry's deal is for two years and $16 million with $9 million guaranteed:

It's a hefty contract, especially for a 30-year-old running back who has led the league in attempts in four of the past five seasons. Henry is still a very capable lead back, but the dreaded wall could come at any moment.

Yet, the value in signing Henry goes far beyond what he can do as a ball-carrier—and make no mistake, Henry has yet to show signs of slowing down. Despite playing behind a bad Titans offensive line and with inconsistent quarterback play, Henry still finished 2023 with 1,381 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns.

Adding Henry gives Baltimore options, both on the field and in the coming weeks.

Schematically, having Henry and Lamar Jackson in the same backfield will give offensive coordinator Todd Monken even more flexibility than he had last season.

Opposing defenses will find it hard to play contain against Jackson when Henry commands a strong presence in the box. Short-yardage and goal-line plays will be nearly indefensible with Jackson a threat to attack the edge and Henry a threat to pound it up the middle.

Opposing defenses can't really sell out to stop the run either, as Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers have emerged as a dangerous and explosive receiving tandem under Monken. And Henry's physical running style will make second-year back Keaton Mitchell all the more effective as a blazing-fast change-of-pace runner.

Monken will also have more options when it comes to game-planning. Baltimore can lean on Jackson and the passing game and use the quarterback to augment the running game. That could be a huge benefit to Henry, who has endured quite a bit of wear and tear since becoming a starter in 2018.

Yet, Henry is quite capable of carrying the load if needed. Ravens fans shouldn't see a repeat of the AFC title game, in which Baltimore running backs combined for just six carries against the Kansas City Chiefs.

For just about any game plan that opponents could throw at Baltimore, Monken can now find a counter. For a team with legitimately justified Super Bowl aspirations, that's huge.

The Chiefs remain Baltimore's biggest Super Bowl obstacle, and they ranked an underwhelming 24th in yards per carry allowed last season.

Off the field, Henry, Mitchell and Justice Hill give Baltimore a fairly complete backfield. That's important because the 2024 draft class isn't believed to be very deep at the running back position.

Notre Dame's Audric Estimé is the top-ranked running back on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's latest draft board, and he's only the 41st overall prospect. Baltimore is now free to use its eight draft selections to address other needs—like those created by the free-agent losses of John Simpson, Geno Stone and Patrick Queen.

The draft will be important, as the Ravens are down to $2.6 million in projected salary cap space.

General manager Eric DeCosta will find ways to make more moves in the coming days, but adding Henry stands to be the biggest of free agency.

Everyone knows what Henry can do—he's arguably the league's best pure runner when at 100 percent—but Henry's skills aren't the only thing that will benefit Baltimore's quest for a third Lombardi Trophy.