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2018 Baltimore Ravens: Willie Henry a budding star on Ravens D-Line

By Richard Bradshaw

NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 31: Willie Henry #69 of the Baltimore Ravens warming up before a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on August 31, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Ravens defeated the Saints 14-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 31: Willie Henry #69 of the Baltimore Ravens warming up before a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on August 31, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Ravens defeated the Saints 14-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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The Ravens defensive line is filled in with run-stuffers, but Willie Henry stands out the most as the team’s pass rushing defensive end.

The Baltimore Ravens, historically, haven’t had dominant pass rushers on their defensive lines. Rather, they value bigger bodies who absorb blockers and open holes for their linebackers. Guys like Haloti Ngata and Tony Siragusa are prime examples of the kind of defensive linemen the Ravens typically employ.

Of course, there have been some exceptions, as is the case with most rules. The Ravens have used guys like Michael McCrary to get after the quarterback from the trenches, but the Raves typically prefer their pass rush be generated from their edge rushers. With the current roster in place, this doesn’t seem like it’ll be any different than in years past. At least, not until you take a look at Willie Henry.

To the average Ravens fan, Willie Henry probably isn’t a name you’d recognize. By the end of 2018, I’ll be willing to bet the name “Willie Henry” will become a household name across the state of Maryland.

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The 6’3″ 300-lbs. defensive lineman is entering his third season in the NFL. After missing all of his rookie season mainly due to injuries, Henry had himself a great season in 2017. The former University of Michigan Wolverine nabbed 33 tackles and 3.5 sacks, which was good enough to tie for third for the team lead in sacks.

On paper, those numbers don’t jump off the page, but I assure you that Henry is a different breed of defensive linemen for the Ravens, if not for one simply reason:

A change-of-pace from the pack:

What Willie Henry does as a pass rusher is unique compared to the rest of the defensive line. Guys like Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce are great at run stuffing, but don’t put up big numbers in the sack department. On the other hand, Henry has displayed prowess to get after opposing quarterbacks and make life hard on offenses. He’s may not be J.J. Watt, but what Henry brings to the table is certainly special.

The Ravens had something similar to this in Timmy Jernigan before they opted to trade him to the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the 2017 season. Is Henry one of the factors that led to this decision? Perhaps. But Henry might only be beginning to tap into his potential.

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After all, Henry started just three games in 2018. With the edge rushers being placed into a nice rotation, Henry will have a nice advantage on the defensive line rotation because of his ability to generate pressure from the interior.

Willie Henry will be relied upon heavily in 2018. The defensive line will need to pull some of their weight in the sack department, and Henry is the team’s best option to do that. Let 2018 be the year that Ravens fans everywhere learned the name “Willie Henry.”

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