Steelers on Ravens RB Derrick Henry: 'That’s what you call a unicorn'

As he stood in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room Friday, Nick Herbig widened his eyes and shook his head out of a combination of adulation and incredulity.

“He’s different, man,” Herbig said of Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry.

“That’s what you call a unicorn.”

What Herbig did not specify, though, is what exactly evokes the comparisons between Henry and the unique a beloved mythical creature — the prototypical NFL running back that is valued by so many but so difficult for teams to obtain.

Is it Henry’s rare combination of size (listed at 6-foot-2, 247 pounds) and explosiveness?

Is it that his resume includes the second-most productive NFL rushing season over the past two decades?

That he’s on pace to challenge to become the first two-time 2,000-yard season rusher in history?

That he entered the weekend leading the NFL in rushing yards at an age (31 in January) that modern football orthodoxy suggests is well past retirement time for players at his position?

That he can with equal esteem and aptitude play the roles of “big power back” (third among qualified NFL running backs in ratio of first downs per carry) and “big-play powderkeg” (leads the NFL in carries of 20-plus yards)?

How about all of the above?

“He is a unique player,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “He is a big man. When he gets to speed and he gets rolling, it looks like a track meet out there.

“When you’re not playing him, he’s fun to watch. When you’re playing him, he’s probably not so fun.”

Steelers defenders will undertake that not-so-fun experience of facing Henry when they host the Ravens at 1 p.m. Sunday in a showdown for first place in the AFC North.

Henry entered the weekend leading the league in rushing yards (1,120) and touchdowns (14). In his first season with Baltimore after eight with the Tennessee Titans, Henry is on pace for 1,904 rushing yards — which would be the 10th-most in NFL history … but only the second-most for a season on Henry’s career.

Henry had 2,027 rushing yards and a league-most 17 rushing touchdowns in 2020, when his plays for the Titans were being called by now-Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

“It’s a bit strange to see him in purple,” Smith said this past week, referencing Henry in Ravens game film. “Obviously he’s the enemy on Sunday, but it was a privilege to coach him. He should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Henry is seeking to lead the NFL in rushing yards for a third time, in rushing attempts for a fifth time and rushing touchdowns for a fourth time. He also leads the league in yards per carry (6.1).

Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson helps, of course. But Henry deserves credit for taking Baltimore’s offense to a new level upon arriving via a two-year free-agent contract this season. The Ravens lead the NFL in points per game (31.8), yards per game (440.2) and rushing yards per game (182.6).

Those figures are up significantly from last season.

“You just combined two MVPs together,” Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “They are a dual threat where it doesn’t matter who’s touching the ball, they are really punishing defenses. Derrick was a home-run hitter when he was in Tennessee — now he’s bringing it over here. And Lamar is in more advantageous situations now. Having a guy like Derrick Henry, where you don’t have to gain 10 yards a play or 10 yards a pop — now Lamar’s like, ‘Shoot, I can just go out there and play ball.’ ”

Henry has played against the Steelers three times, and he never topped 75 rushing yards — or beat them — while he was with the Titans.

“I pride myself in being physical,” Henry told reporters in Baltimore this week. “(The Steelers) are a physical team (and) have a physical defense — a very good defense, top-10 defense — so you have to embrace the physicality.”

The Steelers see themselves as just that. Remember how then-Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane made one of the most famous tackles in recent franchise memory when he stood up the Henry freight train at the goal line during an October 2020 game?

I still can't get over how hard this collision between Spillane and Henry was... ???? pic.twitter.com/KhkQ4mHB5H

— Benstonium (@Benstonium) October 25, 2020

But as Steelers coach Mike Tomlin noted this week, getting too caught up in hitting Henry hard can expose a defense into giving up runs such as the 87-, 81- and 51-yard carries Henry made — for example — over a four-game span earlier this season.

“He’s also a home-run hitter with track speed,” Tomlin said, “and so you got to deal with the wear and tear component of his approach to play, but a bomb can also go off anytime he touches it and he can go 80 (yards).”

A (touchdown) bomb has gone off 107 times in Henry’s career, including 102 rushing — eighth-most all-time. If Henry keeps up his current 2024 pace, he’ll be in the top 20 in career rushing yards by season’s end, too. He’s also in the top 15 among all-time running backs in yards per carry (min. 750 carries).

“This is a time when you can actually say, ‘I’m playing the best in the world,’ ” Steelers rookie linebacker Payton Wilson said.

“You can’t let him get going. If he gets going, he’s hard to get down. So just have to get to him quick and hopefully contain him. He’s a great running back, but you just have to (have good) techniques and everything. You can’t just throw your body out there at this guy. You’ve got to wrap up. You’ve got to hold on. Then hope for the best. That’s all you can do.”