Ravens OC has high expectations for Derrick Henry in first year

Dating back to quarterback Lamar Jackson’s arrival in Baltimore in 2018, John Harbaugh’s Ravens have led the league in rushing three times, including this past season. They were second twice and third once. It’s pretty obvious what they want to do with the football when they have it.

This offseason, the franchise saw a number of quality players either cut loose by the organization or sign elsewhere. On the other hand, you could make a case that the Ravens hooked the biggest fish in the 2024 free-agent market.

Eight-year running back Derrick Henry has had his share of successful outings against Harbaugh’s team. That includes one memorable evening in Baltimore in the 2019 AFC Divisional Playoffs. Now the third-leading rusher in the history of the Oilers/Titans franchise is a member of the Ravens.

Baltimore’s offensive unit rolled up 53 touchdowns in 17 games this past season. The team’s second-year offensive coordinator had some thoughts on what he could be looking for this season from the two-time NFL rushing champion.

Ravens want Derrick Henry to pile up the carries in 2024

"I know this,” said Monken on Thursday. “If (Henry) carries it 300 times, we’re having a helluva year. It means we’re running it a lot. It means we’re up in games. We want him to finish, we want him to be the closer.”

In 2023, no team in the league finished with more running plays (541) than the Ravens. Meanwhile, no player in the league totaled more rushing attempts (280) than Henry. That’s certainly nothing new for the four-time Pro Bowler and 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He’s led the league in carries in four of the past five seasons (he missed 9 games in 2021). Henry hit that 300-attempt mark in 2019 (303), 2020 (378), and 2022 (349).

Here's something else to consider if the workhorse runner does hit at least three bills in terms of carries. The last time Lamar Jackson didn’t lead Harbaugh’s club in rushing yards was in 2018. By the way, the last Ravens player to win an NFL rushing title was Jamal Lewis back in 2003.