Bears safety Kevin Byard knows how not to tackle Derrick Henry. He had a front-row view of defenders bouncing off the hulking running back when the two played together with the Titans from 2016-23.
“Don’t go high, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “I’ve been on the sideline and watching that guy stiff-arm everybody into the dirt.”
Sunday in Baltimore, Byard will face Henry — a good friend and, he said, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer — for the first time as a pro.
“I’m excited for that and try to avoid that stiff arm,” he said.
The Bears have plenty to be worried about when it comes to the Ravens offense, starting with quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was limited in practice for a second straight day Thursday as he tries to recover from a hamstring injury that cost him the last two games. The Ravens will issue a game designation for him Friday.
The 1-5 Ravens are desperate for a win, and Jackson has lost only three times in 27 career games against the NFC.
In terms of the Bears’ concerns, Henry ranks a close second. His 73.2 rushing yards per game average ranks ninth in the NFL but is still about 40 yards below last year’s mark. He totaled 1,931 rushing yards last year, the 11th-most all time.
“You gotta be able to hit him, you gotta be able to wrap up,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said Thursday. “Essentially, you’ve got to be able to take his pistons away and take his legs away from him, in terms of his ability to drive through contact.
“I think more important than anything else, it’s like, how many hats can we get to the ball? I think that will be critical.”
