Derrick Henry contract details, grade: Ravens form scariest backfield in NFL

The Baltimore Ravens led the NFL with 156.5 rushing yards per game last season. That occurred despite J.K. Dobbins' season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1. With the help of Gus Edwards (810 yards, 13 TDs) and the propulsive scrambling of Lamar Jackson at QB (821 yards, five TDs), Todd Monken's offense obliterated teams on the ground.

Baltimore's ability to win in the trenches and dominate the short-to-intermediate game led to 13 regular season wins and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. It didn't quite translate to a Super Bowl — Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won the conference title game — but the Ravens are clearly knocking on the door.

Now, the goal is the knock the door off its hinges. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Derrick Henry has signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Ravens. The deal could expand to as much as $20 million, with $9 million guaranteed in the first season.

Henry will join Jackson in the NFL's most potent backfield.

Derrick Henry officially teams up with Lamar Jackson, Ravens

It's the end of an era for the Tennessee Titans, who replaced Henry with former Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard as soon as free agency opened. For the Ravens, it's a step in the right direction. While there is an obvious need to improve the passing attack, Baltimore just doubled down on its unique ability to control the tempo and physicality of a game.

Last season was a step back for Henry relative to his historically high standards. He averaged 4.2 yards per tote, which tied a career low. That is a perfectly adequate number by every meaningful standard, but still, it's worth noting. Henry led the NFL in carries in his age-29 season, turning 280 touches into 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns in 17 starts. That is a rather dramatic decrease from 349 carries and 1,538 yards the season prior, when Henry started one less game.

Henry also contributed as a pass-catcher, hauling in 28 of 36 targets for 214 yards. That is not the strongest area of his game, but Henry is one of the few true bell cow, three-down RBs remaining in professional football. He does not traditionally split touches or operate in anything resembling a timeshare.

That could change in Baltimore. The Ravens surely want to preserve Henry, who turned 30 a couple months ago. It's virtually unheard of for a 30-year-old RB to receive multiple years on his contract in 2024. In fact, it will only happen with Henry. He is a singular beast, built with the strength and explosiveness of your favorite muscle car. Few can absorb contact and withstand physicality better than Henry.

Second-year RB Keaton Mitchell, who averaged 8.4 yards per attempt on 47 carries as a rookie, is there to share the burden with Henry. It will be Henry who domineers the backfield, of course, but Baltimore could stand to take Henry's foot off the gas pedal every now and then in the regular season. Plus, the twitchy 5-foot-8 Mitchell offers a legitimate change of pace compared to Henry's battering-ram approach.

In the end, this is a pretty reasonable gamble on the most dominant RB of a generation. Henry isn't the best RB in football, at least not anymore, but he's still the most physically imposing. Defenses will have their hands full accounting for Henry and Jackson on every possession.

Grade: A-