Baltimore’s training camp has already handed rookie Olaivavega Ioane a lesson he won’t forget.
During a recent practice, the Ravens’ first-round pick wound up in a collision with Derrick Henry while trying to get downfield and make a block. Ioane came away with a clear understanding of just how hard it is to run into Henry, even by accident.
“Yeah, welcome to the league, I mean that's Derrick Henry right there,” Ioane said on Monday per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. “He's a big running back, strong guy, phenomenal player of course. I'm chasing after the linebacker thinking I'm gonna get him and we both end up on the ground.”
Henry’s reputation around the league has long been built on those punishing stiff arms and the kind of power that makes defenders think twice. Ioane found out firsthand that even a routine-looking practice rep can turn into a collision course when Henry is involved.
“Great player, now I know to stay out of his way,” Ioane concluded.
The Ravens took Ioane in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and he’s expected to be a major piece of Baltimore’s offensive line. That role becomes even more important after Tyler Linderbaum and Daniel Faalele both left in NFL free agency, creating two open starting jobs on the interior.
Henry, meanwhile, was back to his dominant self in 2025. He finished the regular season with 307 carries, 1,595 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, and Baltimore will lean on him heavily again as Declan Doyle’s new-look offense takes shape.
If Ioane can help carve out space up front, the Ravens should be in good shape. Just maybe not when Henry is the man coming the other way.
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