Head coach John Harbaugh said on Wednesday that Lamar Jackson won’t play in Friday’s preseason contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Derrick Henry will sit out all three preseason games for the Ravens.
Henry’s absence doesn’t come as a surprise. He hasn’t appeared in a preseason game since 2018 when he was entering his third season in the NFL.
The lack of preseason reps has never hindered Henry’s performance when the real games begin. He has run for more than 1,000 yards in five of the past six seasons. The only time he didn’t hit that mark was in 2021 when injuries limited him to eight games, but he still racked up 937 yards.
It won’t be a surprise if Jackson sits out the entire preseason. The two-time NFL MVP last played in the exhibition season in 2021 when he started the Ravens’ final game against Washington.
Jackson only played the first series in that matchup, finishing 3-of-4 for 29 yards.
There’s no reason for Harbaugh to put Henry or Jackson in a situation where they might get injured before the regular season.
Henry has been remarkably durable given his position and heavy workload with the Tennessee Titans. The only time he’s missed more than one game in a season was 2021. He came back to lead the NFL in rushing attempts in each of the next two seasons.
The Ravens signed Henry to a two-year, $16 million contract in free agency.
Last season would have been the time to put Jackson in a preseason game if the Ravens felt he needed the reps. They were building a new offense with first-year coordinator Todd Monken.
Instead, Jackson waited to play until the regular season. He fared just fine by throwing for a career-high 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns, ran for 821 yards and five touchdowns to earn his second MVP award.
The Ravens and Eagles will play on Friday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
