OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Derrick Henry is the blunt force trauma force multiplier that makes the Baltimore Ravens‘ offense go but it was another running back who helped make the All-Pro’s transition to Charm City a smooth one last spring.
“I call him the junkyard dog,” Ravens running backs coach Willie Taggart said of running back Justice Hill. “Because he does everything for us, and he does it at an elite level. Justice knows his role, he plays it to the best of his ability.
“He’s been great not only as a player, but as a teammate, and bringing other guys along. He helped Derrick [Henry] adjust last year, when he came into a new team and Justice was right there with him.”
Henry’s debut season in Baltimore couldn’t have gone much better, becoming the engine that powered the league’s top-ranked offense while rushing for 1,921 yards with 16 touchdowns while averaging a career-high 5.9 yards per carry.
Among the things that made Henry’s 2024 season so successful is that he seemed to get stronger as it wore on, rushing for 447 yards and three touchdowns over the final three weeks of the regular season before a 270-yard and three touchdown outburst in the Ravens’ two playoff games.
“The way he practices and prepares,” Hill says sets Henry apart. “His mentality when he’s actually in a game, it’s cool to observe because you see the difference between a normal guy in the league and someone who is going to be a Hall of Famer one day.”
Taggart, though, believes Henry’s Baltimore success story is only just beginning.
“I think as you saw towards the latter part of the season,” Taggart said. “You started to see his game get better. I think that’s because he got more comfortable with our offense and understanding the things that we wanted him to do.
“Going into Year 2, I think everything we ask him to do, you’ll see it on a higher level than what it was before, because he’s more comfortable with what we’re asking him to do. He’s a pro. He practices like he’s a rookie. He wants to be better, he doesn’t want to be the same. I expect him to be a lot better because he knows the offense a lot better.”
As dominant as Henry is, there is plenty of room for a complementary weapon in the Ravens’ backfield, especially when it comes to keeping Henry fresh.
It sounds like Hill is seizing that opportunity.
“Derrick is our normal-down back,” Taggart explained. “And, Justice is our third-down back. As the game goes, and Derrick needs a blow, Justice can go in.”
Hill re-signed with the Ravens last spring, before rushing for 228 yards and a touchdown, despite Henry’s presence.
“Justice was a big part of helping Derrick with his success,” Taggart says. “He’s what you’re looking for in a football player, in a teammate, he’s a heck of a football player. When he got the ball, he made the most of his opportunities, and that’s what you want from a guy. When that opportunity comes, you step up and take advantage of it.”
Ravens’ Kicker Tyler Loop Puts on a Show
Patrick Smith | Getty ImagesBaltimore Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop has plenty of leg to be a weapon in 2025.
Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop stole the show during the final training camp practice of the summer that is open to fans.
During a special teams period, Loop doinked a 46-yard field goal attempt off the upright and in before stepping back six yards to drill a 52-yard try with plenty of leg, yet somehow it wasn’t the highlight of his practice session.
Perhaps Loop’s most impressive moment of the day came when he drilled a 67-yard field goal try, off a free-kick attempt.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh had the idea to try the free-kick attempt after watching his brother, Jim Harbaugh, dial it up during a Los Angeles Chargers game against the Denver Broncos last December.
“I was always very jealous of Jim,” John Harbaugh joked from the podium. “Because I always figured as a special teams guy, I would get that first. Then he gets it first. It’s like he always does; he gets the first things. But yes, I think the guys have done a good job with situational football though.”
Baltimore chose Loop in the sixth round of April’s NFL Draft, and he already looks like he has the leg to be a weapon, especially if he can become even more consistent.
If the Ravens find themselves with a chance for some long-distance fireworks this fall, don’t be surprised if Harbaugh gives him the green light.
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