Derrick Henry's career statistics: Why the Ravens signed the former Titans running back despite his age and injury concerns

The Ravens have been the NFL's strongest rushing offense for the past six seasons, despite having a running back committee for most of those years.

Star quarterback Lamar Jackson obviously plays a major role in boosting those numbers. He was the team's best runner for five straight seasons. Baltimore finished in the NFL's top five in rushing yards for six straight seasons and was the league's best rushing team three times during that time.

And it just signed its best running back in over a decade this offseason.

The Ravens have signed Derrick Henry as a free agent for two years and $16 million, with $9 million guaranteed. Baltimore's signing of Henry, who will turn 31 in the 2024 season, caused a stir.

Is Henry worth the short-term investment?

Why the Ravens signed Derrick Henry

The Ravens have tried out a lot of different running backs over the past few seasons. Names like Gus Edwards, JK Dobbins, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, Kenyan Drake, Devonta Freeman, Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray have all worked alongside Jackson in the backfield.

It didn't matter who carried the ball for Baltimore, because the star quarterback always made sure that his team was among the best in the NFL in terms of rushing yards.

When Henry became a free agent in the offseason, the Ravens were able to sign an all-around running back who could take the pressure off Jackson's legs. Even at 30, Henry is still one of the NFL's most tireless workhorses.

It's rare for a running back to remain as productive over the years as Henry, especially considering his workload.

He is one of 42 running backs in NFL history to have over 2,000 career rushes. He is less than 500 rushing yards away from joining the exclusive 10,000-yard club of 31 players. His 90 rushing touchdowns are the 13th-most in NFL history.

Even when the masses expected his performance to drastically decline in the 2023 season, when he will be 30 years old, Henry remained a leader.

He played in all 17 regular season games for the Titans last year, led the NFL with 280 carries and finished second with 1,167 rushing yards behind AP Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey (1,459).

Since Henry broke his foot in 2021, which was expected to end his career, he has led the NFL in runs and has recorded over 1,000 rushing yards in two consecutive seasons.

Putting all these facts together, the answer is simple as to why the Ravens signed Henry to a two-year, low-stakes deal. He is still Really good – one of the best in the NFL – and his decline may not be as imminent as most people assume.

Henry will only help the Ravens build on their position as the league's best rushing team last season.

Derrick Henry's injury history

Despite his enormous workload, Henry was relatively healthy for a running back during his eight-year career.

He has suffered only one serious injury in the NFL – a broken foot in Week 8 of the 2021 season that caused him to miss the Titans' final nine games.

Aside from that, he missed one game in his rookie season in 2016 due to a calf strain and one game in 2019 due to a hamstring strain.

Despite all the turnovers, group tackles and low blows he has endured over the years, Henry has somehow managed to play in 119 of 130 regular season games in his career.