According to Elias Sports Bureau data, this is the seventh set of teammates to play together, with one having won numerous NFL Most Valuable Player honors and the other being named Offensive Player of the Year earlier. The last time this happened was in 2003, when the St. Louis Rams featured Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk.
With Jackson as the reigning MVP and Henry as the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, it appears to be an ideal match, with one exception: where they line up.
Since Jackson’s first full season as a starting quarterback in 2019, the Ravens have run more plays (4,886) from the pistol or shotgun formation than any other club. This run-pass offense, which Baltimore has used 91% of the time over the last five seasons, best suits Jackson’s abilities as a runner.
When the quarterback is under center, Henry has the most rushing yards (5,795) over that time period. He has thrived in the conventional pro-style formation, where he develops acceleration as he approaches the line of scrimmage.
So, will Baltimore remain with its pistol formation or customize the offense to Henry by putting Jackson under center?
“We can go in a lot of different directions,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said during Henry’s debut press conference on March 14. “Lamar makes us versatile, and I believe what we’ve been doing along those lines suits this kid [Henry] quite well. It’s not simply his special abilities; he can run out of any backfield. He can be in the pistol formation. We can be under [center]. We can be in the [shotgun]. He can move around. All of these factors contribute to his versatility as a player.
Former Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, who blocked for Henry for seven seasons, recently stated on his podcast “Bussin’ With The Boys” that Henry does not prefer the run-pass option. He mentioned that Henry prefers to run downhill and dislikes turning his shoulder away from the line of scrimmage during zone reads.
