Should Ravens Start Looking for Derrick Henry's Successor?

Derrick Henry surpassed even his highest expectations in his first season with the Baltimore Ravens, rushing for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns on a career-best 5.9 yards per attempt to finish as an Offensive Player of the Year finalist.

The fact that Henry did that all in his age-30 season, when many running backs are already in decline, makes it even more impressive. However, the question of how long he can continue playing at an elite level still remains. He's held off Father Time so far, but even he won't be able to forever.

As such, Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema believes the Ravens should start looking for Henry's eventual successor at the 2026 NFL Draft.

"Henry earned the highest PFF rushing grade of his career (93.1) during his age-30 season," Sikkema wrote. "He signed a contract extension that added two more years to his deal, but we know how it goes with running backs — when they decline, they often do so quickly. The question is: Is Henry's successor on the roster?"

"Justice Hill has been more of a third-down back and is approaching 30 years old himself. Keaton Mitchell looked great in 2023, leading the league in yards after contact per attempt (5.68), but tore his ACL late in the year. Rasheen Ali has yet to get significant time in the rotation."

Hill will turn 28 this season and will be 30 when Henry's contract expires after the 2027 season. Mitchell will look to fully bounce back from the aforementioned ACL tear, and Ali could be on the roster bubble after playing just 29 offensive snaps as a rookie in 2024.

Some of the top running backs in next year's draft class include Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, Texas' CJ Baxter and Penn State's Nicholas Singleton, though it'd be more in character for the Ravens to target one later on if they so desire.

For now, though, Henry is still playing elite football and is a key piece of the Ravens' Super Bowl push, so finding a new running back isn't exactly at the top of their list of priorities.

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