Ravens make signing of the year with savvy Derrick Henry move

The Baltimore Ravens gave fans quite a scare in the first few hours of the NFL's free agency period, as they saw veteran running backs like Saquon Barkley and Tony Pollard leave their teams. Derrick Henry was the biggest name left standing, and he had plenty of suitors out there.

The Ravens needed a standout running back after Gus Edwards joined the Los Angeles Chargers, and this front office made sure Lamar Jackson would play next to a star by throwing down a king's ransom for Henry's services.

Henry signed a two-year, $16 million deal worth as much as $20 million with the Ravens. $9 million was guaranteed in the first year. Considering the state of the running back market, this is a fantastic deal for Eric DeCosta.

Baltimore Ravens sign Derrick Henry to two-year contract

Henry toted the rock 280 times for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns last season despite playing with a rookie quarterback in Will Levis and one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Henry should be in for a major production bump now that he's playing alongside Lamar Jackson.

Henry has stated in the past that he is eyeing a place where he could win above all else if he was to leave the Titans, and the Ravens certainly give him that opportunity. The threat of Jackson running helped Baltimore get near elite production out of Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins. Clearly, Henry is a major step upward.

The Ravens have had their eye on Henry in the past, as Schefter also confirmed they had interest in trading for him last season. While he is over 30 years old, the fact they were able to sign him for the same amount of money per year as D'Andre Swift with so little guaranteed money is a great bit of business from Eric DeCosta.

If the Ravens are to have any shot of competing for a championship next season, they need a strong ground game to run over contenders in the AFC when the postseason comes around. Henry and Jackson are about as good of a pairing as one could hope for.