After spending nearly a decade with the Tennessee Titans, future Hall of Famer running back Derrick Henry decided to take his talents to somewhere else, as he inked a deal in the offseason to become part of the Baltimore Ravens. Henry also seemed like he truly gave the Dallas Cowboys a thought before signing with Baltimore and being teammates with two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson.
Derrick Henry shares thoughts on potential to sign with the Cowboys
Henry would have been quite an addition to the Cowboys, whose current running back room doesn't look like it's one of the best in the league. Although he's already on the wrong side of 30, Henry remains a huge threat, literally and figuratively, on the ground after rushing for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns on 280 carries in 2023 — his last season with the team that selected him in the second round (45th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft).
“Even though I’m living in Dallas, and I talked to you about it. You know Dallas being a perfect situation as well because we live there and we ain’t got to move, Henry said of his view of potentially signing with the Cowboys during a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast.
Almost everyone expected that Henry and the Titans were parting ways the moment the NFL free agency started, and it did not take long for the former Alabama Crimson Tide star to find a new landing spot, as he signed a two-year deal with the Ravens worth $16 million that includes $9 million guaranteed money.
“But at the same time you know, the Ravens, the history of it, and then talking to Ray at the Pro Bowl, just like his passion about the organization, his impact there, and you know how he talks about it. I was just like man, that's somewhere if I'm not in Tennessee, or I don't get to go to Dallas I’d love to be a Raven.”
Interestingly enough, the new RB1 in Tennessee is the former top running back for the Cowboys in the form of Tony Pollard, who signed a three-year deal worth $21 million with the AFC South franchise in the offseason.
Derrick Henry ready to start new career chapter with the Ravens
The Ravens offer an opportunity for Henry to be with a legitimate contender not just for a playoff spot but for the Super Bowl. It's the one elusive accomplishment missing on the resume of Henry, who has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in five different seasons, so far in his career. That includes his incredible 2020 campaign in which he burned rubber for 2,207 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 378 carries.
Henry's not going to get that many touches out of the backfield again, especially with the Ravens. Jackson is always going to have plenty of rushing attempts, but even though Henry's not expected to enjoy the same kind of usage he had during his tenure with the Titans, he's still now part of an explosive offense that just a season ago averaged 27.7 points per game and 156.4 rushing yards per outing — fourth and first overall in the NFL in 2023, respectively.
Since he entered the league nearly a decade ago, Henry has amassed a total of 9,502 rushing yards and 90 touchdowns on 2,030 carries. He also has 1,458 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 155 catches and 202 targets.
Follow Us
Subscribe