Ravens’ Backfield Blueprint Under Scrutiny: Henry Anchors, Backup Snaps Still Up for Debate

Baltimore enters its running-back competition with one certainty, Derrick Henry will be the central piece of the rushing attack. The Ravens have built their recent offensive identity around his physical run style, and the team’s training-camp outlook frames him as the unquestioned leader of the backfield snaps while the coaching staff sorts out what the depth group looks like in live action.

Henry, now 32, is described by the Ravens as having not shown decline in the two seasons since joining the team. Baltimore’s own preview emphasizes the consistency of his production, including leading the NFL in rushing attempts and rushing yards across that two-season span and finishing 2025 with a late-season burst that included at least 100 rushing yards in each of Baltimore’s last four games.

The question for the Ravens is not who will carry the load, it is who will earn the right to spell Henry and keep the offense moving when the starter needs rest. In this camp phase, the staff is focused on how that second tier of running backs fits into the run game and the broader offensive plan, where protection, pass-route utility, and ability to win short-yardage snaps often determine who gets meaningful touches.

Justice Hill is positioned as the primary candidate to provide that relief. The Ravens note that Hill missed time during 2025 due to a season-ending neck injury in November, but the team’s preview says he looked fully healthy during OTAs and minicamp. Beyond traditional backup duties, Baltimore describes Hill as a versatile option, capable of contributing as a runner, a receiver, and a blocker, roles that matter in formations where multiple backs are on the field and in third-down situations where the run-pass mix can shift quickly.

Behind Henry and Hill, Baltimore’s preview also points to the competition involving Adam Randall and Rasheen Ali, both of whom are part of the team’s ongoing effort to create dependable depth at the position. The framing around the group is that the Ravens can handle Henry’s workload because his backup should be ready to run with intent and also protect the quarterback and sustain the ground game when the starter comes off the field.

Training camp reps, of course, do not decide the entire season, but they often clarify the pecking order that shows up in game-day rotations. If Hill’s health holds and the younger backs show reliable ball security, assignment discipline, and the ability to convert on the small opportunities that appear between Henry carries, Baltimore’s backfield could become both harder to game-plan against and less predictable in its run-pass usage.

What to watch next is how Baltimore uses its running backs in practice windows that mimic game scripts. Henry’s workload pattern will still be the center of the storyline, but the sharper subplot will be whether the Ravens can sustain efficiency with the second group, especially in late-play drives where a fresh back can change the tempo. The camp competition is essentially about redundancy, and in a division with playoff-caliber opponents, having two effective layers behind the lead runner can be the difference between steady production and stalled drives.