While the Baltimore Ravens have undergone an overhaul this offseason, many constants should remain. One area fans should trust to carry over into the Jesse Minter era is the dominant offense.
When you have Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry on your side, you’re going to do damage. And it’s going to look effortless at times. The duo is just that much better than their counterparts at times. For Henry, sure, there are some questions about Father Time catching up, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down. He’s still far and away one of the best running backs in the NFL.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Gary Davenport tried his hand at predicting the eight biggest surprises of the 2026 season. Among those included was a bold take on Henry. Davenport’s prediction? Henry will lead the league in rushing in his age-33 season. He wrote:
“Henry hasn't matched his 2,000‑yard dominance from 2020 in Tennessee, but that will change in 2026.”
“Father Time is about to get stiff-armed.”
Baltimore Ravens could see Derrick Henry somehow take another step forward
Davenport’s prediction would usually be a surprise for a 33-year-old running back…but this is Derrick Henry we’re talking about. It feels like he only gets better with age, and his utter dominance should continue this year. And the pieces are falling into place for him to put up even better numbers.
For starters, Henry is due to get Lamar Jackson back by his side for most, and hopefully all, of the 2026 campaign. The two-time MVP was limited to 13 games last season and was dealing with hamstring issues since Week 3. That clearly hampered him throughout the campaign, especially on the ground.
A healthy Jackson presents a dangerous running threat, and one that should create more comfortable opportunities for Henry. It will change the whole game plan for how opposing defenses can attack Baltimore’s offense. In 2025, the entire rushing attack was on the back of Henry, and he still put up the second-best rushing season in the league. In 2026, there should be slightly less attention on him if Jackson can get back to doing his usual damage as a runner.
Would that be enough to propel Henry to 2,000 yards? Maybe not. But the decision to hire Declan Doyle might be. The 30-year-old offensive coordinator could turn out to be a goldmine of a play caller, and might propel Henry to the best season of his Baltimore career. In 2025, Doyle gameplanned for the third-best running team in the NFL with the Chicago Bears. They ran for 2,456 yards, and he’ll undoubtedly look to bring that success to Charm City.
The major difference for Doyle, though, is that he’ll go from D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai to Derrick Henry. And with Henry, things could get a little crazier. The future Hall of Famer should be able to turn it up a notch, which could result in hitting the prediction that Gary Davenport maps out for him in his Bleacher Report piece.
Add us as a preferred source on Google