Teams will absolutely still be gameplanning for Henry. Unless the OL is that bad and cant open up anything for him. Hes a threat. You keep proving how little you understand the game. Nobody thinks hes going to be a savior and put up 1800 yards. Hes brought in to be a chess piece. A legit chess piece that will help Flowers,Andrews, Bateman, Likely.

Teams will absolutely still be gameplanning for Henry. Unless the OL is that bad and cant open up anything for him. Hes a threat. You keep proving how little you understand the game. Nobody thinks hes going to be a savior and put up 1800 yards. Hes brought in to be a chess piece. A legit chess piece that will help Flowers,Andrews, Bateman, Likely.

They'll gameplan for him because his name is Derrick Henry and he has a reputation. Also, he was not brought in as a chess piece. He was brought in to be the only true rushing threat on the team outside of Lamar, and to be the "missing piece" to the Ravens' Superbowl quest. There was literally an article posted here not long ago about how the entire organization viewed him as just that. They aren't looking at him (or paying him) as though he's some complimentary part of the offense. They want him to be a focal point.

Isn't there a quote from Monken about how if he gets 300 carries the Ravens will have a "hell of a year?"

Come on man. Chess piece? What is he - Tavon Austin? He's Derrick freaking Henry. He's not a chess piece.

A star running back changing teams at the end of his career is the last logical step in the career arc of that position. You hear the same buzzwords and cliches every time.

"Best shape of his life"
"Highly motivated."
"Plenty of Juice"
"Gas in the tank"

Etc. Etc. Etc.

And, with the rarest of exceptions not withstanding, it always ends the same way. The cracks forming in the armor are just beginning to show when they leave their old organization, and then on full display in their new one. Running backs fall off a cliff hard, and everyone knows it.

Maybe Henry will be the exception. It's certainly not impossible, and if there was a guy who was built to be an exception, it is him. However, I would bet that the numbers the Ravens generate from the running back position in 2024 will be very, very similar to what they generated in 2023 with the tandem of Edwards and Hill. I guess we'll see.

For what it's worth, I do expect Henry to have a monster first game, as I have no doubt the Ravens will want to show off their new toy by feeding him the ball 25 times or so. However, by the end of the season, I fully expect him to be worn down, and no better than league average.

As long as Henry is healthy, he's going to be a beast in this offense.  Why?  Because of Lamar Jackson.  Lamar makes every running back better than they are and there's every indication that he's going to be on the move more this season which will only help Henry do his thing.  If the OL can stay intact, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the big man can accomplish.  He's obviously not in his prime anymore but he's still better than almost every back in the league. 

RIP Joe D'Alessandris. What a brutal turn of events. Truly tragic.

Tragic news. So sudden. Just 70, which feels young considering he was coaching right up to the very end. Had a hunch it was pretty serious when they went as far as hiring a replacement when he stepped away.

Damn, that's horrible news.  He was a great coach and really respected by everyone.  70 is way too young. 

• Ravens' Andrews ready after 'scary' car accident

Tyler Huntley is back.  For now on the practice squad but given Josh Johnson's age it's only a matter of time before he is the backup to Lamar.  

CBS Sports: Ravens' Justin Madubuike changes name: Star DT explains why he'll go by his birth name in 2024 and beyond

https://www.cbssport...024-and-beyond/

Tyler Huntley is back. For now on the practice squad but given Josh Johnson's age it's only a matter of time before he is the backup to Lamar.

As challenged as Huntley is, he's still better than Johnson. Pretty sad that EDC can never find a more competent, backup quarterback. There should at least be a fighting chance that you can still win games and make the playoffs if Lamar's season ended because of injury. As it stands right now, the season is over for the Ravens if that happens. That's unacceptable to me but that's the way it's been for years since Lamar took over. Of course, you could make that argument about most teams with the Super Bowl in their sights.

As challenged as Huntley is, he's still better than Johnson. Pretty sad that EDC can never find a more competent, backup quarterback. There should at least be a fighting chance that you can still win games and make the playoffs if Lamar's season ended because of injury. As it stands right now, the season is over for the Ravens if that happens. That's unacceptable to me but that's the way it's been for years since Lamar took over. Of course, you could make that argument about most teams with the Super Bowl in their sights.

Who is a quality backup QB, noticeably better than Johnson or Huntley, and how much do they cost? What are you giving up to pay that cost?

I'd rather have Kyle Van Noy than Jameis Winston, for example. Jacoby Brisset or Derrick Henry? Marcus Mariota or Patrick Ricard?

Probably take Mariota and a minimum salary FB (if they feel the necessity) over Ricard.

Yeah if Lamar is out for the year the season is over, whether the backup is Huntley or any of the other guys who are available for around $5-6M.

 

I'm open to the argument that a different QB has a better chance to win a couple games if Lamar had just a 1-3 week injury. But I'd still prefer to have a different player for that ~$5M and just hope the backup never plays except for blowouts.

Probably take Mariota and a minimum salary FB (if they feel the necessity) over Ricard.

I'm surprised that Ricard finished his contract, seemed like an easy $4M in cap and he played a lot less last year (still 40% of snaps). They've always liked him though.

I always thought Flacco could have been the perfect backup to Lamar.  He's got his limitations but at least you could still win games with him as he proved in Cleveland.  With Huntley and Johnson, you might as well just pack it in. 

I always thought Flacco could have been the perfect backup to Lamar. He's got his limitations but at least you could still win games with him as he proved in Cleveland. With Huntley and Johnson, you might as well just pack it in.

Flacco has a $5M cap hit. Johnson is $1.15M.

I don't see enough difference between the two to be worth having to foregone a $4M player elsewhere. Cleveland did win games, but not sure Flacco did anything that Johnson or Huntley couldn't in those games. Very different styles I guess, Joe can make throws that most other backups can't but he also is a turnover machine at this point and can't get away from any pressure.

I don't think a better backup is a bad idea. But I think we often overstate how much better a more expensive backup actually is. And if you do go with a more expensive backup, it costs you something that helps you for more plays more weeks. Always a cap trade off. You can do whatever you want, it just costs you something else.

I wish they'd go after a relatively decent QB in the draft to serve as back up. I mean, I guess they tried with Leary but then he had a horrific preseason.

I wish they'd go after a relatively decent QB in the draft to serve as back up. I mean, I guess they tried with Leary but then he had a horrific preseason.

What round. Its a fine line. I dont think they are completely against taking a guy in say the 3rd or 4th round but anything higher is gonna lead to questions about if the guy takes over for Lamar at some point. Its also tough to use a top 4 round pick on a QB when hes clearly gonna be a backup. You can draft a guy at another position and expect/hope to get a starter.

That's true. Definitely a fine line. Ravens can usually find good mid round value on guys who can come in and contribute fairly early on, which is definitely a need on a perennial contender. Can't really punt a super early pick on a QB when you've got a 2-time MVP on a mega contract still in the prime of his career.

You wait until the 6th / 7th round and you end up with a Devin Leary type.

Obviously it's been forever and the sport has changed a lot, but they found Tyrod Taylor in the 6th round. Troy Smith was a 5th round. I'd take those two type picks over a Johnson or Huntley.

Huntley and Johnson arent good but they arent complete trash either. Either could win a few games with the right matchup. I do think that the better a roster is the better chance a really good backup could step in and succeed enough to make the playoffs. Obvious statement I guess, but it really is tough to spend the money on what is clear insurance vs spending it on a definte rotation piece/ starter like say Van Noy.