Ravens Trade Rumors On Derrick Henry Backup Heat Up

Do the Baltimore Ravens need another running back?

The Ravens are Super Bowl contenders because of quarterback Lamar Jackson, but one of the league’s most well-rounded rosters amplifies him and makes them true contenders.

A key on that roster? Derrick Henry.

Henry’s impact on the offense was profound in 2024, and it was easily the best backfield partner Jackson has had since being drafted in 2018. The drop off between Henry and Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell is significant, and as Henry marches further into his 30s, durability questions are only going to increase.

So do the Ravens need to make a trade here?

One site recently matched Baltimore with Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker.

Our take? A move for Walker - at anything above dirt-cheap in pricing - is unnecessary. 

The Ravens’ run game was elite with Henry in 2024, ranking second in the league in expected points added per rush. In the four years prior, from 2020 to 2023, Baltimore ranked first, 11th, second, and third, respectively.

And if Henry - who obviously makes them more dangerous in January and is a significant part of the team’s plans - ever goes down?

Baltimore has long proven its ground game will be fine – as long as Jackson is healthy.

Jackson’s mobility is the biggest puzzle piece of Baltimore’s offense, and it is able to elevate just about any viable running back. A Henry injury makes the Ravens less imposing, sure. But giving up real draft capital for a backup running back is a poor use of Baltimore’s resources, and Walker’s looming contract year only makes the Ravens a less desirable landing spot for him, too.

Baltimore is thin behind Henry, in a sense, by design. And the Ravens running back room is fine as it is.