“You have to train your mind to be stronger than your body. That’s what gets you through when your legs say no”. That mantra has followed Derrick Henry ever since he stiff‑armed half the Jaguars defense into oblivion on a 99‑yard touchdown run. It hides behind highlight tapes of running backs floating through Tennessee falls like maple leaves. Behind off-season lifts that begin at the crack of dawn and end when salt rings have been etched into the turf by sweat. Now, on the threshold of a new tale in purple and black, the league’s most dreaded battering ram is waking up again. With an edge so sharp it has even old defenders looking at the calendar for Week 1.
For Derrick Henry, mountains were once more his personal treadmill. On Monday, NFLonPrime dropped a reel on Instagram, in which he power-sprinted the kind of incline most human beings tackle on their knees. Between reps, he did ten burpees and charged again, just the rasp of his breathing and the crunch of gravel beneath 247 pounds of purpose.
Fans who fretted the 31-year-old would throttle down after departing Tennessee suddenly wondered if he’d hit a higher gear instead. Those concerns were never relayed within the Under Armour Performance Center. In fact, many joked that Henry’s workout journals are like the Paul Bunyan legend. Pure class, and high-level!
No doubt, Todd Monken’s offense might feature Lamar Jackson‘s electrifying improv. But the staff thinks Henry’s bruising style of inevitability can provide Baltimore with a time-of-possession sledgehammer not witnessed since Jamal Lewis’s heyday.
Of course, the two-time rushing champion doesn’t need a summer reel to remind anyone what he can still do. He bow-tied his last year of Titans career with 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns behind a patchwork line, piling up 28 receptions. It was his fifth 1,000‑plus yard season in the past six years. A period that encompasses the 2,027‑yard masterpiece of 2020 and more missed‑tackle prey than anyone who does not answer to the nickname “traffic cone” reasonably could be expected to survive.
In fact, Derrick Henry isn’t just out there doing basic sprints. Nah, this was different. Back in April, he was spotted powering up a steep hill. Grinding through a workout that most fans don’t usually see online. This wasn’t just about speed; it was a full-blown session. Think sharp footwork drills, resistance bands pulling him back, and nonstop effort. Every step looked like it had a purpose. That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes grind that shows why he’s built differently. And till now, the hills are still his testing ground. Now, the Ravens’ defense, already tasked with tackling him in camp this month, can attest that gravity still gets the better of them.
Depth Chart Shuffles Paint the Bigger Picture
At the apex of Baltimore’s newly minted unofficial depth chart. It is the very same name that just caused ripples to flow down a Blue Ridge incline, Derrick Henry. The Ravens wasted no time with hesitation. Henry tops the running‑back list, a sledgehammer supplement to Lamar Jackson. It announces precisely what sort of offense John Harbaugh plans to unleash. From there, the roster opens up. Jackson’s name is imprinted in capital letters atop the quarterback depth chart, with veteran Cooper Rush as his backup. Young Devin Leary is in pursuit of the most coveted clipboard in football.
Protection for that MVP trajectory will hinge on a re‑tooled front five. Ronnie Stanley through Roger Rosengarten, plus Andrew Vorhees at left guard. And while Henry’s sledgehammer presence dominates the backfield, the understudies behind him, Justice Hill’s burst, Keaton Mitchell’s recovered 4.3 wheels, and Rasheen Ali’s slashing vision might just form the league’s fastest relief crew. It will help Baltimore ensure that the ground game never loses its momentum or menace.
And Henry’s mountain workouts may steal social media oxygen. But Monken’s system could use this quartet in aligned sets. It challenges defenses to second-guess who wields the sledgehammer or the screen pass on any given snap. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are back with high‑leverage newcomer DeAndre Hopkins, whose contested‑catch radius should make third‑and‑seven feel like coin‑flip country.
Second-year deep threat Devontez Walker and punt‑return favorite LaJohntay Wester lead a bench that may push veteran Tylan Wallace out if camp holdovers continue to show. Slot in tight ends Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar, along with 305-pound fullback Patrick Ricard. Monken has more matchup knobs than a studio soundboard. Defensively, the marquee is cornerback depth so ridiculous you half‑expect a velvet rope.
Marlon Humphrey moves inside while first‑rounder Nate Wiggins and marquee free agent Jaire Alexander man the perimeters. Chidobe Awuzie provides the Ravens a plug‑and‑play fourth, and incoming sophomore T.J. Tampa might require sub‑package ingenuity. On the edge, rookie Mike Green brings collegiate sack‑title swagger to a group already anchored by Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy, with David Ojabo eyeing a career‑rescuing camp. Meanwhile, Roquan Smith mentors Trenton Simpson at linebacker. And first‑round safety Malaki Starks has impressed enough to bump Sanoussi Kane and Beau Brade into a spirited duel for rotational snaps. Baltimore’s decision to draft kicker Tyler Loop set up a fireworks-friendly camp battle with undrafted dynamo John Hoyland.
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