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Did the Ravens and Titans have a Derrick Henry trade fall through?

One Ravens reporter says yes.

By Jason Marcum
/ new
Baltimore Ravens v Tennessee Titans Photo by Vincent Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline, one of the most talked about names has been Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.

Following last week’s blockbuster deal that sent star safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles, it became evident that the Titans were entering rebuild mode and would be sellers at the deadline.

That’s why some thought it was a matter of when, not if, we’d see Henry traded, as he’s now in the final year of his contract and will hit free agency next spring while turning 30 in January.

Among the names bantered about in a trade for Henry were the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens.

Well, according to Russell Street Report’s Cole Jackson, who has also written for the Ravens’ official team website, Baltimore had a deal in place for Henry, but Titans ownership struck it down.

We obviously have to take reports like this with a grain of salt, but the Ravens are no strangers to making big in-season trades, and running back is a position they could use some more firepower at.

The thought of Henry and Lamar Jackson in the same backfield behind a healthy Ravens offensive line would strike fear in just about any defense. That would be a massive boost to their chances of winning the AFC North and making some serious noise in the playoffs with the kind of ground game and defense they’d have.

Not to mention Lamar Jackson looks like he’s back to being a top-10, if not top-five quarterback. His current 88.0 PFF grade is the fourth-higher among quarterbacks this season.

Already sitting at 6-2 overall with the rest of the division at 4-3, the Ravens effectively have a two-game lead in the division. All of their remaining divisional matchups are in Baltimore, so a trade for Henry would have made them extremely difficult for the Cincinnati Bengals to overcome.

Saying this, the Ravens do have a tough stretch of games to end the season that goes like this:

  • Week 9 vs. Seahawks
  • Week 10 vs. Browns
  • Week 11 vs. Bengals
  • Week 12 at Chargers
  • Week 13 bye
  • Week 14 vs. Rams
  • Week 15 at Jaguars
  • Week 16 at 49ers
  • Week 17 vs. Dolphins
  • Week 18 vs. Steelers

It won’t be easy, but there’s absolutely a path for the Bengals to overtake the Ravens and win the division for a third straight year.

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