The Baltimore Ravens’ playoff hopes are teetering amid quarterback injury issues and a four-game losing streak, which includes a 33-10 rout by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
While Baltimore did trade for Jacoby Brissett to hopefully put an end to their signal-caller woes, rumors have begun swirling around one of the team’s stars: running back Derrick Henry.
The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, and some were of the belief the Ravens would at least listen to trade offers for the 32-year-old veteran back – a team that could be one piece like Henry away from a complete squad ready for a Super Bowl run.
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But the Ravens think otherwise, telling teams that Henry is not available before the Nov. 10 deadline, per ESPN.
The speculation surrounded two of Henry’s former head coaches, with John Harbaugh and the New York Giants reportedly in the aggressive buying stage, and running back is where they seem to be looking. The Giants are among those very interested in Jonathan Taylor with the Indianapolis Colts.
New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel could’ve also been a good spot for a Henry reunion, especially given that TreVeyon Henderson was just hospitalized after suffering “unexplainable” neurological symptoms.
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Henry is a key cog in making this Declan Doyle-led offense work for the Ravens, but it hasn’t looked that way among recent quarterback injuries, most notably to two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.
Jackson dealt with a high-ankle sprain before a much-needed return last week against the Buffalo Bills. However, on his first snap of the game, his throwing hand collided with Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau’s hand. He was placed on the injured reserved after needing surgery to repair his thumb.
So, Tyler “Snoop” Huntley had to resume his role as the team’s starter, doing so in the games Jackson missed earlier in the season. But Huntley suffered a turf toe injury in the same Bills matchup, knocking him out for the remainder of the season.
That led to emergency quarterback Joe Fagnano, a rookie out of UConn, taking over in a 36-10 loss to the Bills. The Ravens made the move to trade for Brissett after the Arizona Cardinals benched him in the second half of a comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, where head coach Mike LaFleur gave the reins to Gardner Minshew, and later named rookie Carson Beck his backup entering Week 9.
But Brissett’s arrival in Baltimore wasn’t going to come before “Thursday Night Football” against a very good Jaguars team. With steady rain coming down, the Ravens’ offense couldn’t get anything going with Fagnano under center, and now the team hopes Brissett can keep them competitive enough to battle for a playoff spot.
There is still a chance Jackson will be returning post-thumb surgery, but he’s forced to miss the next four games on the IR. At 4-5, the Ravens needed Brissett to hold down the fort at least, with Baltimore losing by at least 20 points in their last three games.
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All of this to say, the Ravens need a running threat like Henry if they wish to salvage the season that is starting to slip away.
“I have not mentioned me going anywhere else,” a frustrated Henry said following the loss. “I’m saying, ‘Let’s go back to work. Let’s try to get better and turn this thing around.’”
