Out To Lunch

OTL: Analyst Predicts Big Season From You-Know-Who

by Darin McCann

May 30, 2024
11:26 am

Reading Time: 3 minutes

It’s easy to see what the Ravens have done in terms of the run game these past several seasons and get swept away with visions of Derrick Henry lumbering his way down field time and time again, leaving cleat-marked defenders in his wake.

Judy Batista, an analyst with NFL.com, put together a list of “bold predictions” for the coming season, and the Ravens’ big offseason addition made her cut, as she saw the star back churning up more than 1,600 yards on the ground.

“This is the free-agency marriage we all wanted, and the Ravens and Henry will be just as great a fit as we imagined,” said Batista. “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 (tackle Morgan 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.”

Look, it’s a lot to see that kind of season for a 30-year-old running back, even one who is seemingly big enough to have his own Congressman. But Henry isn’t your typical back. The Ravens run-attack is not your typical run-attack with Lamar Jackson taking the snap And… did we mention Henry isn’t your typical back?

Player Profiler put together their rankings of last season’s offensive lines following the end of the regular season.

The Ravens were in Tier 2, labeled “Great, just not elite.” They were the third team in their rankings. The Titans, on the other hand, were in the fifth tier, labeled, “The walking wounded.”

Still, Henry rushed for 1,167 yards at an average of 4.2 yards per carry and a dozen rushing touchdowns. His PFF rating was 90.1. Gus Edwards, the leading back for the Ravens last year (and one of my personal all-time favorite Ravens, by the way), scored a 72.3 behind a good line.

It’s an upgrade. And a pretty drastic one, at that.

The thought of Henry on last year’s team can lead one to fantasize about how last January’s playoff run could have been different, assuming he was given the ball. We could also think about what a difference a healthy Mark Andrews could have made.

“There were still some things I was probably battling through that time of year,” said Andrews. “[I] obviously wasn’t full 100% in [the AFC Championship], but I worked really hard to get to that point, and it set me up for a really good offseason to work hard,” Andrews explained to the media during AN OTA session on Tuesday. “I’ve been running a ton of routes — non-stop routes — with my family, working out. I feel really good right now. I feel fast [and] explosive. But, I think it set me up for a really good offseason.”

It’s fair to have questions about the Ravens’ receiving unit, and their lack of a proven “X” who can win even when covered. And while he doesn’t line up outside all the time, a healthy Andrews can bring that skill to the middle of the field, causing a linebacker or safety to divert their attention enough to free up space for… guess who?

That’s right. It’s Derrick Henry Day in this space.

Yardbarker wrote a piece about each AFC team’s worst move of the offseason, and they picked out letting Tyler Huntley walk as a free agent.

“If Lamar Jackson stays healthy, the Ravens won’t have to deal with the consequences of not re-signing Huntley, who joined division rival Cleveland. However, Huntley has played in 20 games since 2020, a hint Baltimore will eventually have to roll with journeyman Josh Johnson in place of an injured Jackson at some point.”

I get it. I do. Jackson has not been able to finish a few seasons, and the Ravens were left at the mercy of a backup quarterback and couldn’t finish the way they wanted.

However…

That backup was Huntley, and it didn’t work. I’m not quite getting what they’re saying here if I just look at the evidence of the past. Had he won a handful of big games or one playoff outing, I’m on board.

But he didn’t. And I’m not.

Also of note:

John Harbaugh Has High Hopes for Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift Relationship

Trenton Simpson is making a good impression on his teammates and coaches as he prepares for a big second season. pic.twitter.com/R7BRsXau9B

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 29, 2024