Analysts Question Ravens' Derrick Henry Deployment

Fans of the Baltimore Ravens were quick to point out the team's stingy use of star running back Derrick Henry. Even as he trucks into his 30s, he remains the single toughest backs to tackle and one of the best at picking up yards after carry, but his team remains strangely reluctant to give him the ball and trust his downhill strength as the losses start to mount.

Head Coach John Harbaugh sounded off on the play-calling performance he's seen out of his offensive coordinators, as he evidently has his own problems with how the Hall of Famer's been utilized. Now, the media's jumped in to the scrum.

Baltimore Ravens Running Back Derrick Henry — Sep 22, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) rushes for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

ESPN's crew of football-related talking heads have been vocal in their disapproval on the matter, with the Ravens' unimpressive 1-3 record doing little to shield them from criticism. Marcus Spears certainly has an issue with their decision-making, and said so earlier this week on NFL Live.

"There's a tremendous amount of evidence that if you let Derrick Henry dictate games, this offense works better," he said. But as he points out, his 49 rushing touches are tied for the 24th-most in the league, despite the 284 yards he's racked up sitting as the eighth-highest total.

"You have to play for what's going on," he continued. "You have seven people injured on defense, and you consistently want to push the ball downfield, and you're not winning doing that. You did not sign this man to be tied for 24th in carries five weeks into the season. If his career wasn't made on volume, we wouldn't have this argument. He gets better the more touches he has."

Co-anchor Dan Orlovsky added more numbers to the argument, delving deeper into Henry's curious underutilization where he'd normally be tasked with picking up his usual-guaranteed yards.

In what he referred to as "shocking and honestly unacceptable, he and ESPN's researchers realized that the Ravens have given their running backs the ball less than anyone on first or second downs, despite being one of the best in the league at it whenever they make such a play call.

This is shocking and honestly unacceptable pic.twitter.com/v3FFvTdrqW
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 2, 2025

Henry, for the record, has rushed for three touchdowns and 10 first downs in his relative-limited usage, still hanging with several of the NFL's other most prolific running backs in most counting stats. Even with the Ravens' offensive line as depleted as it is, he should return right back to the top of the team's point of attack, especially if handoff partner and running mate Lamar Jackson's projected to miss any time.

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