Getty

The Baltimore Ravens can create a thunder and lightning offense by pairing Derrick Henry with a "wide back" free agent.

The double act between two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry and two-time league MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson is arguably the most potent tandem in football, but the Baltimore Ravens can make their offense even more explosive by adding a “wide back” free agent into their star-studded backfield.

It’s a dream team-like scenario mapped out by Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports, who believes versatile wide receiver Deebo Samuel “would be really interesting in this offense. We know that he is one of the more versatile wide receivers that we’ve seen in the NFL, and I kinda pause to even say wide receiver. He’s just a flat-out weapon, and you can put him in the backfield, and let’s just play an imaginary Madden game here, where it’s Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Deebo Samuel in that backfield. That feels like a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators to try and figure out what that could possibly look like and how to defend that. Deebo Samuel, the pass-catching option, you have Derrick Henry the thunder, and you have the lightning in Lamar Jackson.”

Sullivan has outlined something truly exciting for the Ravens and new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Provided they believe 30-year-old Samuel has enough left after only modest production since his All-Pro peak in 2021, when he created his own position as the league’s premier receiving and rushing playmaker.

Fortunately, Sullivan isn’t the only one who thinks Samuel’s enduring hybrid skill-set can still benefit Henry.

‘Wide Back’ Deebo Samuel Can Help Derrick Henry

Henry remains the brute-force, bell-cow back who powers the Ravens’ running schemes, but he’s never been prolific in the passing game. Enter Samuel, whose “ability to serve as an out-of-the-backfield pass-catcher could appeal to Baltimore, as Derrick Henry has only twice topped 20 receptions in a season during his 10-year NFL career,” per Jacob Camenker of USA Today Sports.

It’s a compelling argument because Samuel remains a useful pair of hands who snagged 72 catches from 99 targets for the Washington Commanders last season. He’s still dynamic once he reels the ball in, evidenced by Samuel tallying 466 of his 727 yards after the catch, according to Pro Football Reference.

Samuel is an obvious threat on screen passes, but his value in the backfield also extends to the rushing attack. Like when he rushed 19 yards for a touchdown against the New York Giants on his debut for the Commanders.

Plays like this helped establish Samuel as a so-called “wide back.” He coined the phrase at his height with the San Francisco 49ers nearly five years ago, when Samuel’s “1,770 yards from scrimmage ranked third in the NFL. He led the NFL in yards per reception (18.3) and was fourth in yards per rush (6.2) among players with at least 50 receptions or rushes. His eight rushing touchdowns are the most by a receiver in a season since 1970, and he’s the only receiver in the modern era to lead his team in rushing touchdowns,” per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

While he’s no longer quite as explosive as a ball-carrier, Samuel has maintained a creditable average of more than four yards per carry in three of the last four seasons.

This is perhaps the most underrated way the Ravens signing Samuel would help Henry. The latter is 32, an age where the risk of a statistical decline only increases for a running back.

Henry needs capable support to help ease his burden, but the Ravens lack credible depth after surprisingly letting game-breaking speedster Keaton Mitchell walk in free agency.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti did play his part in using a late-round pick in this year’s draft to select a runner with “wide back” qualities, but signing the real thing still makes sense.

Especially when Samuel can solve another problem for the Ravens’ offense.

Ravens Still Searching for Wide Receiver Help

As Sullivan put it, “I still they think need someone opposite of Zay Flowers in that wide receiver room.” The ongoing need to support Flowers explains why momentum is building for the Ravens to add yet another All-Pro veteran wideout.

A key newcomer on Baltimore’s rebuilding defense has his own preferred candidate, but Samuel would also upgrade the depth chart at receiver. It’s a position group otherwise underpinned by competitive, but unproven rookies, along with frustratingly unfulfilled potential embodied by third-year pro Devontez Walker and 2021 NFL draft first-round pick Rashod Bateman.

Samuel would elevate this uncertain collective, while also helping Henry in multiple ways and providing an intriguing complement to Jackson’s dual-threat skills.