Ravens RB Derrick Henry chasing 'perfection' in ninth season

Derrick Henry has been one of the best running backs since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2016.

Over the past eight years, he has rushed for 9,502 yards and 90 touchdowns with the Tennessee Titans.

Henry changed teams this offseason, joining the Ravens on a two-year deal, and it has fueled his desire to continue being great. Henry's personal trainer, Melvin Sanders, has seen it firsthand and says no one works as hard as Henry.

"He's the most consistent. He just doesn't skip," Sanders said, via the team's website. "It's relentless pursuit of perfection. He just wants to be great. He wants to be the best."

The running back position has been undervalued as of late, but Henry continues to be an outlier. Sanders doesn't see that changing in 2024, either.

In fact, Sanders believes Henry could have his best season yet this year.

"I'm not joking. I'm not hyping it up. I think he's better right now than he was in year four and five," Sanders added. "He's a lot stronger now. He's a lot more mobile. He's able to move better. His lateral quickness is better. He's just a stronger athlete now."

If that's true, the rest of the league will be kicking itself for letting Baltimore snag Henry this offseason because his best season was his fifth year when he rushed for a career-high 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns.

It's not an unrealistic possibility of that happening. Henry is joining the best rushing offense from a year ago. The only thing that could slow him down is his age.

However, the Ravens seem confident with the plan they have in place for the 30-year-old.

"First and foremost, like every player, we want him to make it through the season. It's a long season — 17 games," offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. "So, we'll see how that goes. I mean, he's been so durable."

Henry has played in at least 15 games in every year of his career except 2021, when he suffered a Jones fracture. If 2024 follows suit, he'll make Baltimore is one of the best teams in the league once again.