Derrick Henry will be a 30-year-old man when he takes the field this upcoming September as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, and his success before hitting that mark certainly did not go unnoticed.
In hopes of standing ahead of Kansas City atop the AFC, Baltimore is getting a running back who can still give defensive coordinators nightmares.
Should the Baltimore Ravens Be Concerned With Derrick Henry’s Age?
Drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Henry was hoping to see long-term winning in Tennessee.
The Titans, guided by former Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill, went as far as an AFC Championship Game appearance in 2019, but that was it.
With Henry officially closing the book on his Titans tenure, the former Alabama bulldozer is ready to lead his new squad to its first Super Bowl berth since winning it all in 2012.
Usually when a running back hits 30, their production starts declining and retirement comes into play. Dating back to the past five seasons, there have only been a total of 16 players who have started at least one game as a running back after turning 30.
If one compares that number to quarterbacks, tight ends, wide receivers, and offensive linemen, running backs come in dead last.
People, however, believe Henry will still be able to succeed.
Just before hitting 30, Henry eclipsed over 1,400 rushing yards during back-to-back campaigns in 2019 and 2020.
Even during a “down” year, Henry logged 1,059 rushing yards in 2018 and 937 in 2021.
His running backs coach in Tennessee, Justin Outten, who is now coaching Tennessee’s tight ends, had this to say about Henry reaching 30, speaking to The Tennessean:
“He’s turning 30. At that position, that’s considered really old in the NFL,” Outten said. “It’s just pushing past that age. Age is just a number at that point. The older you get, the more technical and the more detailed you have to be. That way, you can still play at a high level. He’s going to continue to do that.”
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Defenses in Baltimore’s division and across the league will definitely feel frightened when they are lined up against Henry next season, as Henry, standing 6’3″ tall, remains one of the more complicated players to tackle.
Assuming they do not use any of their eight picks in this upcoming April’s NFL Draft on a running back, the Ravens will rely heavily on Henry’s presence — most notably in short-yardage situations and goal-to-go spots.
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