Once Derrick Henry ascended to his status as one of the best running backs in the NFL in the Tennessee Titans’ run-first offense, defenses made him the focal point of their game plans, which led to Henry seeing (and thriving against) a ridiculous amount of stacked boxes.
But that is likely to change at least a little bit now that Henry is with the Baltimore Ravens, where Lamar Jackson and his dual-threat ability are the No. 1 priority for defenses on a weekly basis.
Defenses will have to think twice about stacking the box against Henry now because Jackson can make them pay for it by getting around the corner with his legs or making plays downfield with his arm.
Henry recently touched on not being the “center of attention” on the football field now that he’s with the Ravens, and it’s something he’s happy about.
“It definitely brings a different aspect, because he is a dual-threat quarterback, and he’s dangerous with his legs just as he is with his arm,” Henry said, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. “It’s going to be fun and a breath of fresh air not being the center of attention, knowing that eyes are going to be on him, as well. But I’m just excited to get to work and put the work in out here and let it all come together.”
On top of Jackson taking pressure off him, Henry should be running behind a better offensive line, but it remains to be seen how much better Baltimore’s group will be thanks to multiple new starters upfront.
