Running back Derrick Henry agreed to sign with the Ravens this week, but the thought of bringing him to Baltimore did not start this offseason.
During a press conference commemorating Henry’s signing on Thursday, Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta confirmed that the team tried to trade for Henry before the trade deadline last season. No deal came together with the Titans, but Henry said he thought there was a “good chance” that he was going to be on the move last October.
Whether it was that flirtation or his history facing the Ravens, Henry said he came into free agency knowing where he wanted to go.
“This is where I knew I wanted to be. I love the style, the physicality that they play with in all three phases. It’s my style of play as well. It was really a no-brainer, just trying to figure out the business side of things and glad we were able to get it figured out.”
The Ravens were not one of the teams to propose moving the trade deadline back at least a week, but Henry’s case is one that might have changed with a later deadline. The Titans moved to 3-4 on the Sunday before the deadline, but lost their next two games and they may have had a different view of how to move forward once those results were in.
While that’s an interesting thought experiment, the reality is that Henry is in Baltimore now and the Ravens hope he’ll be part of a team that’s able to make it past the Chiefs and the rest of the AFC in 2024.
