There aren’t many players — if any — who are more difficult to tackle than Ravens running back Derrick Henry. He’s a 6-foot-3, 247-pound behemoth with the kind of speed you never see from a person that size. If anything, Henry is the one who throws defenders to the ground.
On Sunday, he was on the receiving end of that experience and it came courtesy of Eagles rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean.
With the Ravens facing third and 11 in the fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson checked down to Henry in the flat, and DeJean unleashed an absolutely textbook tackle. It was so perfect that he lifted Henry from the ground and drove through the tackle. For reference, DeJean is listed at just shy of 200 pounds.
Cooper DeJean takes down Derrick Henry
: #PHIvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+
: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Lwq9S0PfZo— NFL (@NFL) December 2, 2024
After the game, DeJean was asked about the tackle. And he even admitted that he didn’t expect to fully lift Henry off the ground like that.
“I didn’t expect to fully pick him up and put him on the ground.”
Cooper DeJean on his big hit on Derrick Henry. pic.twitter.com/vR53O08byJ
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 2, 2024
I guess he didn’t realize his own strength.
