Derrick Henry Says Dream Pairing With Lamar Jackson Is ‘Maybe Even Better’ Than He Expected

The pairing of quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry with the Ravens last season was a match made in football heaven. Unless you were an opposing defense. Then, it was a match made in that other place.

Henry reflected on his first season playing with Jackson in an interview with The Athletic’s Michael Silver. He said it was “maybe even better” than he expected.

Now that’s saying something, as Henry and Jackson both had arguably the best seasons of their careers.

“It was electric,” Henry said. “He’s the best player in the league, and it shows every single game day. He works hard, he’s the leader of this team, and it was fun. It’s just a great culture around here, and you see why they have the slogan, ‘Play like a Raven.’ It’s just a brotherhood — hard work and physical play that’s relentless and disciplined.”

Henry, who turned 31 last January, stiff-armed Father Time by coming just 79 yards shy of being the first running back in history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season more than once. He also led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (16) and averaged a career-best 5.9 yards per carry.

“Henry’s efforts would have gotten more attention,” Silver wrote, “were they not overshadowed by those of two players he adores: Teammate Lamar Jackson, who earned first-team All-Pro honors while narrowly missing out on his third MVP award; and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley who, in Henry’s eyes, put together ‘probably the best year a running back has ever had in the history of the league.’

“It might stand to reason that Henry would be jealous of the 28-year-old Barkley, who ran for 2,005 yards in the regular season and went on a torrid postseason run that ended with a Super Bowl LIX triumph. However, that does not appear to be a thing. Henry said he was bummed when the Eagles decided to sit Barkley for their otherwise meaningless regular-season finale, depriving the runner of a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record (2,105 yards during a 16-game season in 1984).”

Henry told Silver he was rooting for Barkley in the Super Bowl.

“Heck yeah, I was rooting for him,” Henry said. “I love to see people accomplish their dreams, ’cause it motivates me to do the same thing. I love to see running backs happy. I’m not the guy who’s like, ‘Oh man, why is he doing this (and not me)?’ I love to see it. It fuels me.”