The Tennessee Titans are heading into Week 4 at 0-3, and the matchup with the Baltimore Ravens carries a little extra weight for one simple reason: Derrick Henry is on the other sideline.
This will be the first time Henry faces the Titans since leaving after the 2023 season and signing with Baltimore in free agency. And before the game, Jamison Hensley of ESPN asked Henry about how that move came together. Henry’s answer made the situation even clearer.
“Nah, they shook me out... I wouldn't say it like that; it's always love.
But no, they didn't offer. Not at all,” Henry said of the Titans' free-agent interest.
Asked how that felt, Henry called it “Bittersweet.”
Henry said he could see where things were headed during the 2023 season, saying the “writing was on the wall” and that the Titans were “ready to move on.” Even with that sense of what was coming, he still said it stung that Tennessee never even put a contract on the table.
That’s the part that lands hardest here. Henry wasn’t just another veteran leaving in free agency.
He was a franchise centerpiece, the kind of player who defines an era. From 2016 to 2023 with Tennessee, he piled up 9,502 rushing yards and 90 touchdowns.
His 2020 season, when he ran for 2,027 yards, stands among the great rushing years in NFL history.
He followed that with a 1,167-yard, 12-touchdown season in 2023 before leaving for Baltimore at age 30. Since then, he’s kept rolling. Henry has put up 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns, then 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns, and through three games this year he already has 301 yards and six touchdowns.
Even at 32, Henry remains one of the league’s best backs. And that makes Tennessee’s decision not to offer him a deal look even tougher in hindsight, especially with the Titans in need of help at running back as Cam Ward develops.
At the time, the running back market was already being squeezed, but that doesn’t change the reality Henry laid out: the Titans never even tried to bring him back.
Now he’s thriving in Baltimore, while Tennessee is sitting at the bottom of the league.
In Other News...
Ravens Just Got Pulled Into The NFLs Next Pass Interference Fight
Week 3 brought a fresh jolt to the NFLs long-running pass interference debate, and the fallout has quickly spilled beyond the teams directly involved. Around the league, the latest controversial calls have revived the familiar argument over whether interference should be reviewable, with some writers once again pushing ideas like a replay system closer to soccers VAR or a league rule that would force every such call into review.
For Baltimore, the issue matters because the Ravens know how thin the margin can be when a drive turns on a judgment call. The conversation is unlikely to quiet down soon, either, with possible rule changes not expected to come up until the NFLs league meetings in 2027. Until then, the same old tension remains: the league wants to preserve the human element, but more and more voices are asking whether pass interference is too important to leave entirely to the officials on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Defense Has A Problem The Pass Rush Cant Fix
Baltimores pass rush has kept doing its part, with Trey Hendrickson and Calais Campbell helping force pressure and make life uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks. But the Ravens defense has not looked the same on the back end, where the problems have been piling up for a group that was expected to hold together much better than this.
The uneven play from the corners and safeties has left too many openings for receivers to exploit, and the issues have gone beyond just coverage busts. Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey, Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins have all been part of a secondary that has struggled to stay consistent, while the tackling and safety play have also put Baltimore in tougher spots than the front seven can keep covering up. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jacksons Practice Status Brings A New Week 4 Concern
Lamar Jacksons week got a little more interesting on Wednesday when the Ravens listed their quarterback as a limited participant because of a minor issue, a development confirmed by head coach Jesse Minter. Jackson was still out on the practice field in full uniform and later spoke with reporters without signaling that anything was keeping him from preparing for the upcoming game.
Ronnie Stanleys return to practice offered Baltimore a more encouraging note on the other side of the offensive line, with the left tackle back after missing Week 3 because of a toe injury. Still, any practice update involving Jackson tends to draw immediate attention in Baltimore, and the Ravens will be watching closely to see whether the limited workload is simply a one-day pause or something that lingers deeper into the week. [Read more 🡒]