Analyst Predicts Historic Debut for Ravens RB

Derrick Henry has been arguably the NFL's best running back for over half a decade, so him joining the league's best rushing offense in the Baltimore Ravens is a frightening prospect for opposing defenses.

Even as he enters his 30s, Henry remains a dominant force and one of the hardest players to bring down in the entire league. Last season with the Tennessee Titans, Henry rushed for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns, and that was a bit of a down year by his incredibly high standards.

Now that he's joining a premier rushing quarterback in Lamar Jackson, as well as two other solid running backs in Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill, expectations are high for Henry in Baltimore, but how high exactly?

In an a bold predictions article for the upcoming season, NFL.com's Judy Battista suggested that Henry could rush for a whopping 1,600 yards in his Ravens debut season.

"This is the free-agency marriage we all wanted, and the Ravens and Henry will be just as great a fit as we imagined," Battista writes. "The Ravens had one of the most efficient running games last season, but introducing Henry is a game-changer. Even at 30 years old, he should lead the league in carries (as he has in four of the last five seasons) and could accumulate more rushing yards than he has in any season except 2020, his 2,000-yard effort.

"Yes, the Ravens lost three starting offensive linemen (tackleMorgan Moses and guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler), but they also seem to have a knack for finding and developing replacements. The Ravens had one of the league's highest-scoring offenses last season and that will be a boon for Henry. Get a lead, give him the ball, bleed the clock. That's a recipe for a Ravens playoff run."

It's true that Henry shattered that record in 2020, but that was when he had significantly less mileage on him. Getting so many carries takes a toll, even on a player as great as Henry.

Even disregarding that, 1,600 yards is an incredibly high bar for any running back, one that no one even came that close to reaching last season.

This isn't to say that Henry can't reach that plateau, but anyone actually expecting him to reach that goal may be setting themselves up for disappointment.

Make sure you bookmark Ravens Country for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google