FOXBOROUGH - Derrick Henry isn’t the same player he was a year ago, when he threatened to eclipse 2,000 yards rushing (he finished with 1,921) and averaged 5.9 yards per carry (!). His initial burst takes a split second longer to pop into gear, and he’s not throwing around defenders at the same rate, dropping from 2nd in yards after contact in 2024-25 to 6th this season. But Henry at 90% of what he was is still a frightening proposition.
“Haaaaa,” K’Lavon Chaisson emoted when I asked him about Henry. “There’s nobody who’s emulating his style for sure.”
“Big dude,” Christian Barmore said. “Powerful. Can’t give him space. Can overpower you. Yeah, he’s (a) really good back.”
“When he gets rolling downhill, and he's got a head of steam, he's definitely a real problem to deal with,” added linebacker Jack Gibbens, a former teammate of Henry’s in Tennessee.
Mike Vrabel also has a unique perspective on Henry, having coached him with the Titans. It was there that the former Alabama star went from Dion Lewis’ backup to bellcow, and helped put an end to the Brady/Belichick run. He hammered the Patriots in the first round of the 2019-20 playoffs, running for 182 yards in a 20-13 Titans victory. I recall having a number of conversations with Pats defenders before the game, and they all believed if they got Henry going laterally, he wasn’t the same runner. About that...The same holds true now. In fact, some of the Ravens rushing numbers will tell you they’ve been more efficient attacking the edges than they have running it down opponents' throats.
“He’s a very unique player,” Vrabel said of his former running back. “Great speed, great power, strength. He’s just a
