The latest news covering the Baltimore Ravens.
The latest and greatest content covering the Baltimore Ravens.
Ravens’ run-heavy approach has required many skill position players to buy in
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic
With 545 yards rushing over the past two weeks, the Ravens have found their offensive identity. A big part of that is Jackson putting the ball in the belly of Henry, the NFL’s leading rusher, or just keeping it himself to either run or connect on mostly short passes. In Sunday’s throttling of the previously undefeated Bills, the Ravens ran the ball 34 times and Jackson attempted just 18 passes. Of his 13 completions, eight were to running backs Henry and Hill.
The offensive game plans the past two weeks have been a success, and that’s only because of the buy-in from the team’s skill position players who, if given a choice, would surely prefer to have the ball in their hands rather than engage with would-be tacklers with blocks. However, if you watch any of Henry’s or Jackson’s notable runs over the past two weeks, you’ll undoubtedly see a wide receiver or tight end, often downfield, making a key block or series of them.
Patrick Mahomes’ turnover woes, Derrick Henry’s dominance, more from Week 4: Quick Outs
Derrik Klassen, The Athletic
Henry does give the Ravens the beef between the tackles they needed in the absence of Gus Edwards, but what he offers them out in space is the real catalyst for success. Henry is currently second in explosive rushes (12-plus yards) this season with nine, per TruMedia. The only player ahead of Henry is Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (10 explosive runs).
Some of that explosive ability is tied to what Lamar Jackson affords a rushing offense in terms of space. The same is true of Taylor playing alongside Richardson, but Henry really is uniquely gifted in the open field for a big man. In 2024 alone, Henry has six runs on which he’s hit at least 18 MPH, per Next Gen Stats. All the players ahead of him on that list are quarterbacks (like Jayden Daniels, Kyler Murray and, of course, Jackson). It does not compute that a man as large as Henry can run with those guys.
Davante Adams trade proposals: What could the Raiders get for the future Hall of Fame WR?
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic
Offer: 2025 third- and fifth-round picks for Adams
Look, this is probably an unlikely partnership. The Ravens needed to do several contract restructures a few weeks ago to even get cap compliant, and GM Eric DeCosta has been forthcoming about how difficult it would be to add another significant contract anytime soon.
Baltimore also is a run-first team that’s barely getting the ball to the top pass catchers currently on its roster. (Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews have four combined catches over the past two weeks.) So it’s fair to be skeptical that they’d get enough bang for their buck by adding another target, even one as good as Adams.
However, the Ravens are annually connected to every veteran receiver looking for a new home, and DeCosta loves to throw his hat in the ring when an accomplished player is available. The Ravens would need a lot of help from the Raiders (and potentially Adams) to make the contract numbers work, but it doesn’t hurt to make a call. And the Ravens are sitting on several compensatory 2025 draft picks, so the compensation shouldn’t be prohibitive.
The Ravens have found an identity in bully ball
Joseph Acosta, SB Nation
This season, the Baltimore Ravens are first in the NFL in percentage of snaps in 12 personnel, fourth in 21 personnel and second in 22 personnel rate. Comparatively, they’re 31st in 11 personnel rate. They want to play with all the beef on the field, and it makes sense given their personnel. When you have 300-pound Patrick Ricard as your fullback, the 247-pound Henry, and two very good tight ends, you want to condense sets and formations and bully opponents. The Ravens are very good at bullyball, leading the NFL in rushing yards per game. However, it’s the unique threat that QB Lamar Jackson and Henry pose together that makes them one of the most feared backfield pairings in NFL history.