Baltimore Ravens were so close on a Derrick Henry trade that a star player thought a deal was done
Three-time Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey claimed on Wednesday that he was informed a blockbuster trade to bring future Hall-of-Famer Derrick Henry to Baltimore was all but done before the 2023 deadline.
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Heading into NFL Week 10, the Ravens are tied with the defending champion Chiefs for the best record (7-2) in the AFC and have caught fire during a recent four-game win streak. While they are off to a strong start in 2023, they were a team that was believed to be active at the trade deadline on Oct. 31.
After losing talented running back JK Dobbins early to a season-ending injury, there has been speculation about them pulling off a big move for a proven rusher for weeks. And a report just days before this year’s deadline claimed the Ravens were going hard for Titans star Derrick Henry.
On Wednesday, Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey spilled some very interesting tea about what he heard from “sources” when it came to the Henry to Baltimore rumors last month.
“I’m just going to be completely honest with you. And being that it didn’t happen it really doesn’t matter,” the corner opened by saying on a Wednesday edition of his “Punch Line Podcast with Marlon Humphrey.” I was sitting minding my business, and I got a text that someone was going to be suiting up in purple that ran the football. I got a text that somebody was going to walk into Baltimore, Maryland who is at about a height of 6-foot-4. I got a text that there was a very high chance that a guy who usually goes by “King” was going to be in purple and black at M&T Bank Stadium very soon.
“I was at about 85% that Derrick Henry was going to suit up for the Ravens. It did not happen. My source was incorrect. He had me thinking it was a done deal.”
Related: Why Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson should be the NFL MVP right now
Despite not getting the three-time All-Star, the Ravens still lead the NFL in total rushing yards and yards per game after the first nine weeks of the season. Part of that is due to having a gifted QB who is the team’s second-leading rusher on the team with 440 yards.
However, Henry is fifth in the league with 601 yards on a struggling Titans offense. So adding him to the dynamic unit in Baltimore led by Lamar Jackson would have been a massive problem for contending teams in the AFC during the playoffs.
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Welcome to Ravens Reality Check, where we take our whiskey neat but always ask for national hot takes about the Baltimore Ravens to be served on the rocks.
It’s one of those tough Mondays, where a forensic dismantling of a 33-31 loss to the Cleveland Browns doesn’t make the letdown any less frustrating. And the same folks who have largely been trumpeting the Ravens in recent weeks are now poking holes in them (myself included) — that’s the nature of the game.
Do you guys know “The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point” meme? That’s what came to mind watching Skip Bayless criticize the Ravens for coughing up a double-digit lead.
This is one of those takes where the eye test matches with reality, unfortunately. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley pointed out that, since the start of last season, the Ravens have lost seven games when they led in the fourth quarter, tied only with the Indianapolis Colts (who beat them earlier this year in a blown fourth quarter). Considering that the Ravens have been viewed as a demonstrably better team than the Colts over the last two years, that’s not flattering company.
Jonas Shaffer broke down how unique the Browns loss was in his game story yesterday, in part because of the margin the Ravens were winning by. But there’s little doubting it’s part of a troubling trend that has been going on for months: As the game progresses, the Ravens struggle more. DVOA whiz Aaron Schatz shared an unnerving statistic Monday morning about the Ravens’ quarter-by-quarter progression:
The reasoning varies, and the Ravens weren’t particularly good in any one phase against Cleveland. A lot of folks will look at the run game, which dried up for 44 yards on 13 carries in the second half. After a 39-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the game, Keaton Mitchell got just one carry for two yards in the second half — a head-scratcher even though many fans didn’t know who Mitchell was before his breakout game against the Seahawks.
It’s hard to put an exact finger on it when the defense was getting bulldozed and the offensive line was on its heels for just about the entire second half. Of course, a lot of folks can and will put this on quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was not very good in the game, leading to our second take …
The reasoning varies, and the Ravens weren’t particularly good in any one phase against Cleveland. A lot of folks will look at the run game, which dried up for 44 yards on 13 carries in the second half. After a 39-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the game, Keaton Mitchell got just one carry for two yards in the second half — a head-scratcher even though many fans didn’t know who Mitchell was before his breakout game against the Seahawks.
It’s hard to put an exact finger on it when the defense was getting bulldozed and the offensive line was on its heels for just about the entire second half. Of course, a lot of folks can and will put this on quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was not very good in the game, leading to our second take …
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