There's still over four months to go until the Baltimore Ravens take the field for the start of the 2024 season, and the earliest parts of the offseason workout program have only just begun.
But newly signed running back Derrick Henry has not wasted any time in making clear to his new team what he came to Baltimore to do: win a Lombardi.
"I really want to hold that trophy up at the end of the year. But it starts right now putting the work in." Henry said recently, per the team website.
After eight seasons as a star running back for the Tennessee Titans, Henry hit free agency for the first time in his career last month and ended up signing with the Ravens, adding another big name to a team that was already only a win away from a Super Bowl berth in 2023.
Since signing his two-year, $16 million contract last month, Henry has spent his time bonding with his new teammates, saying that he's been emphatic about putting in the work to bring a championship to Baltimore.
"It's been fun getting to know everybody, putting the work in, something I love to do," Henry said. "I'm the new guy on the block. I wanted to make sure that I show up, show my teammates and this organization that I'm here, I'm committed."
Henry, who recorded five 1,000-yard seasons while in Tennessee, joins a Ravens team that finished first in rushing yards last season, though quarterback Lamar Jackson was the team's leading rusher with 821 yards on the ground.
A rushing tandem between a four-time Pro Bowler in Henry and the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Jackson figures to make Baltimore one of the most formidable rushing offenses in the league once again in 2023, and Henry noted he's already started getting to know his new backfield partner.
"Lamar's a cool guy," Henry said. "You can tell he's a great leader by how everybody flocks to him. He has great energy as well. I've only been around him for a little bit, but he seems like a great guy. His body of work speaks for itself."
Even those outside of the Ravens' offense feel the anticipation for what this pairing could produce, with Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith expressing excitement at just getting to watch what happens when he's not on the field, much less how it actually affects the team's overall play.
"I told a couple of my friends in the offseason, maybe I'll have to get some popcorn on the sidelines while I'm watching those guys go to work," Smith said. "I think it's a great piece added to us, and I think it's going to help us get to where we want to be."
