In 2023, then-Titans running back Derrick Henry led the NFL with 280 carries. In 2024, Henry’s new team, the Ravens, wants to give him the ball even more than that.
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said he would love to see the Ravens take an early lead and then run up the clock by giving Henry the ball repeatedly.
“I know this: if [Henry] loads 300 times, we’re having an incredible year,” Monken said. “That means we’re executing hard. It means we’re at the games. We want it to end, [and] we want it to be as close.”
Henry has done it before, surpassing 300 carries three times in his career, including an impressive 378 in 2020 when he rushed for 2,027 yards in a 16-game season. In a 17-game season, a player needs to average 17.7 runs per game to reach 300 for the year, and Monken says the most important part of that is keeping Henry healthy for 17 games.
“First of all, like any player, we want him to get through the season. It’s a long season – 17 games,” Monken said. “So we’ll see how that goes. I mean, he’s been very durable.”
The most important player for the Ravens’ offense is quarterback Lamar Jackson, but if Jackson can get big leads for the Ravens as often as he did last year, Henry could become the focal point in the fourth quarter.
