By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Derrick Henry is preparing to face the Tennessee Titans for the first time as an opponent.
He says his old team did not do much to try to keep him when he left in free agency for Baltimore.
“They shipped me out,” he said Wednesday, before walking that back a little. “No, I don’t want to say it like that. It’s always love. But no, they didn’t offer nothing at all.”
Tennessee was 6-11 in 2023, Henry’s final season there. He turned 30 in January 2024. It’s hard to know what it would have taken for him to stay, and after his final game there he was given a microphone and thanked the fans.
“I knew the writing was on the wall throughout that season, and they were ready to move on,” he said. “Good things don’t last forever, so it was time for me to find a new home.”
Joining Lamar Jackson on a contending team in Baltimore has been great for him.
Henry rushed for 1,167 yards in his final season with the Titans, but he averaged a career-low 4.17 yards per carry. His first two full seasons with the Ravens: 1,921 yards in 2024 and 1,595 in 2025 — with a career-high 5.91 yards per carry in ’24 and 5.2 last season.
“Lamar was a big reason why I came here,” Henry said. “It kind of takes the pressure off of the running back just because of who he is. So, whenever I came out for free agency, this was the No. 1 spot I wanted to go to, even during that season before I got here.”
Baltimore hosts Tennessee on Sunday. It’s the first time the teams have met since Henry’s move.
“I’ve never coached with him, but I’ve always gotten a chance to see him from afar and go against him,” Titans coach Robert Saleh said. “He’s an animal still running like he’s 25 years old. So he’s a tremendous challenge and anytime you’re trying to replace a Hall of Famer, it’s not easy.”
The Titans are 6-31 since Henry left, 0-3 this season.
Baltimore is coming off a last-second win over Dallas in Brazil. That was not the easiest game for Henry, who struggled in short-yardage situations behind an injury-plagued offensive line.
“Got to have them. I’ve got to be better. Can’t stop thinking about them,” Henry said. “Not saying it’s like living rent-free in my head, but just very hard on myself and very critical of myself. I’m my worst critic, so I got to be better. I ain’t looking at nobody else, nobody to blame, the play call — if it’s called to give me the ball, I got to get a yard or got to get in the end zone, it’s got to happen.”
Henry may want to take responsibility, but this past weekend was not the best rushing situation for him. Tackle Ronnie Stanley missed the game with a toe injury. He was back at practice Wednesday but limited. At center, Baltimore’s top three options are now injured, and none is expected back anytime soon.
Rookie guard Vega Ioane is capable of moving over to play there, and coach Jesse Minter indicated that may be the short-term solution. It would leave Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones Jr. competing for a guard spot, and Baltimore also signed guard Kyle Hergel and center Andre James to the practice squad.
The Ravens also signed safety K’Von Wallace to the 53-man roster.
Jackson, meanwhile, was not at practice when reporters were present at the beginning, but he eventually made it onto the field. He was listed as limited with a back issue.
He did talk to reporters before practice and said the team is motivated to help Henry to a win over the Titans.
“It will mean a lot to him, but to us too,” Jackson said. “We want him to win versus those guys, which is going to be a rival game.”
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