Why Derrick Henry left Titans, signed with Ravens: Career timeline

Derrick Henry makes his Baltimore Ravens debut on Thursday night in the 2024 NFL season opener against Kansas City, his first NFL game in a uniform other than the Tennessee Titans.

Henry will be a Titans legend for life after eight seasons, two NFL rushing titles, many stiff-arms and at one 99-yard run.

But he has an opportunity to cement his legacy and a potential Hall of Fame career in Baltimore.

Why Derrick Henry joined the Ravens

The NFL’s active rushing leader joined Baltimore this offseason on a two-year deal as the Titans moved on from the Henry-Mike Vrabel-Ryan Tannehill era over the winter. Henry, 30, now has a big opportunity to add to his career totals in a run-friendly offense alongside Lamar Jackson.

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He also has a chance to win a Super Bowl for the first time. Baltimore is among the AFC favorites along with two-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City.

“I definitely wanted to be somewhere that had a solid foundation, and this foundation has been set for a very long time,” Henry said during his introductory press conference in Baltimore.

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Derrick Henry career timeline: From Tennessee Titans legend to Baltimore Ravens lead back

2016 season

• April 29: Drafted by the Titans in the second round of the NFL Draft at No. 45 overall out of Alabama.
• Sept. 11: Titans open the season with a loss to undermanned Vikings, as Henry opened his career backing up Demarco Murray and recording five carries for just three yards.
• Oct. 27: Henry scores his first career NFL touchdown in Thursday Night Football win over the Jaguars.
• Jan. 1, 2017: Henry has more carries than Murray for the first time in the season finale, carrying the ball 15 times for 65 yards in a win over Houston. Still, Henry’s underwhelming rookie season ends with a modest 490 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

2017 season

• Sept. 17: Henry continues to earn more share in the Titans backfield, rushing for 92 yards and a touchdown in a dominant win against the Jaguars.
• Oct. 16: Henry caps off his first career 100-yard rushing performance with a 75-yard run to close out the Titans’ win over Indianapolis on Monday Night Football.
• Dec. 31: Henry has a 66-yard touchdown reception in the only offensive touchdown of the game in Tennessee’s playoff-clinching victory over Jacksonville.
• Jan. 6. 2018: Henry has his first dominant performance as a pro, rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown in the Titans’ comeback win over Kansas City in the AFC Wild Card round. Henry rushed for 85 yards in the fourth quarter as Tennessee took the lead, including a 35-yard touchdown run.

2018 season

• Oct. 4: After a disappointing start to the season that had Henry sharing carries with Dion Lewis, Henry was self-reflective: “I’ve got to get better. Everybody knows that. The whole world knows that.”
• Oct. 21: Henry records another disappointing scoreline, 12 carries for 33 yards and two catches for 32 yards, in a one-point loss to the Chargers in London. During the following bye week, Henry and Titans legend Eddie George have a heart-to-heart conversation about Henry’s play.
• Nov. 4: ESPN reports that the Titans shopped Henry during the since-passed NFL trade deadline.
• Nov. 5: Henry carries the ball just six times, third on the team behind Marcus Mariota and Lewis, in a MNF win over Dallas.
• Dec. 2: Henry rushes for 40 yards in a comeback win against the Jets, continuing a disappointing third NFL season. At this point, Henry had 474 rushing yards and five touchdowns through 12 games.
• Dec. 6: Henry has a career inflection point, rushing for 238 yards and four touchdowns against Jacksonville on TNF. The night includes Henry’s famous 99-yard touchdown run.
• Dec. 30: Despite a season-ending loss to Indianapolis, Henry caps off a stellar December with 93 yards on 16 carries. Henry rushes for 585 yards over four games in the final month of the season to complete his first 1,000-yard season.

2019 season

• Nov. 10: In a season-changing win over the Chiefs, Henry rushes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
• Dec. 8: Henry rushes for 100+ yards for the fourth straight game in the Titans’ win over the Raiders, the team’s fourth straight victory.
• Dec. 29: Henry rushes for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the Titans’ playoff-clinching victory over Houston. The performance clinches the NFL rushing title.
• Jan. 4: Henry rushes for 182 yards and a touchdown while controlling the clock in the Titans’ AFC Wild Card win over New England. It is the final Patriots game for Tom Brady.
• Jan. 11: Henry again controls the game on the ground with 195 rushing yards in the Titans’ AFC Divisional Playoff victory over Baltimore. Henry also throws a touchdown pass to Corey Davis and throws a stiff-arm to Earl Thomas that still leads his career highlight reel.

2020 season

• March 16: The Titans placed the franchise tag on Henry.
• July 15: Henry officially signs a new four-year deal with the team ahead of an extension deadline.
• Oct. 13: Henry tosses aside Bills cornerback Josh Norman in his most awe-inspiring stiff-arm to date in a Tuesday night win over Buffalo.
• Oct. 18: Henry has possibly his best pro performance, rushing for 212 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime win against Houston. Henry had a 53-yard reception in overtime, which set up Henry’s game-winning TD.
• Nov. 22: Henry walks off the Ravens in OT with a 29-yard touchdown run.
• Jan. 3, 2021: Needing 223 rushing yards to become the eighth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, Henry rushes for 250 yards against Houston as the Titans clinch their first AFC South title since 2008.
• Jan. 10, 2021: Henry is limited to 40 rushing yards by a tough Ravens defense in an AFC Wild Card loss.

2021 season

• Sept. 19: Facing a 0-2 start, Henry leads the Titans to a comeback victory in Seattle with 182 yards and three touchdowns.
• Oct. 18: The Titans win a thriller over Buffalo on MNF, with Henry rushing for 143 yards and three TDs.
• Oct. 31: Henry injures his foot early in the Titans’ OT win at Indianapolis but finishes the game. A day later, the Titans announce he is out indefinitely with a foot fracture and would have surgery.
• Jan. 22, 2022: Henry returns from injury but rushes for just 62 yards on 20 carries as the Titans are upset by the Bengals at home in the AFC Divisional round.

2022 season

• Oct. 2: Henry rushes for 100 yards for the first time since the previous October in a win over Indianapolis.
• Oct. 30: With Malik Willis making his first career start after Ryan Tannehill injured his ankle, Henry rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns in a win at Houston. It is Henry’s fourth straight 100-yard game.
• Jan. 7, 2023: Henry finishes the season with four straight 100-yard games, but the Titans finish with seven straight losses to crash out of playoff contention.

2023 season

• Oct. 1: After a so-so start to the season, Henry rushes for 122 yards, a rushing TD and a passing TD in a win over Cincinnati.
• Oct. 31: Despite multiple reports and rumors, Henry remains a Titan as the trade deadline passes.
• Dec. 11: Henry’s final signature win as a Titan came at Miami on MNF, scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth-quarter comeback.
• Jan. 7, 2024: Henry finishes his final Titans season by rushing for 153 yards in the Titans’ win over Jacksonville that denied the Jaguars an AFC South title. The game was headlined by Henry’s throwback 69-yard run down the sideline. After the game, Henry spoke to Titans fans over the Nissan Stadium PA system. “I love y’all,” Henry said in his Nashville farewell.

2024 offseason

• Jan. 16: Henry says on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast that he was “pretty close” to being traded at the previous season’s trade deadline, with both he and the hosts hinting that Baltimore was a possible destination.
• March 12: Henry signs a two-year deal with the Ravens.

Derrick Henry career statistics