Derrick Henry is what happens when perfect genetics meet perfect worth ethic.
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) September 30, 2024
He has over 2000 carries. He should be beaten down and slow.
But he’s out sprinting defensive backs 7 years younger than him.
Hall of Famer.
Derrick Henry is going to be the last running back in the Hall of Fame, a god of a religion the world stopped worshipping
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 30, 2024
Last night, in a route of the Buffalo Bills that saw the Baltimore Ravens improve to 2-2, Derrick Henry rushed for 199 yards and a touchdown; he also added in 10 yards and a receiving touchdown. He started off hot with an 87-yard TD run on the Ravens first play of the game, and didn’t look back.
DERRICK HENRY TO THE HOUSE ON THE 1ST PLAY 🤯
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 30, 2024
87 YARDS TD.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/PG2LE1xyQs
In the aftermath of the victory, Twitter was up and active. Praising Derrick Henry for his unprecedented longevity in an era of football that is constantly churning out and replacing running backs. Henry is the active leading rusher in the league, with 9,982 yards after Sunday night’s performance. He will far surpass 10k career rushing yards, but what is even more fascinating is the distance he has created between himself and every other active rusher. Ezekiel Elliot is in second place with 8,985 yards, but his days as a lead back are behind him. In third place is Joe Mixon, who hasn’t even surpassed 7,000 yards yet. Which means Derrick Henry is most likely going to be the last 10,000 yard rusher we see for a very long time.
Over 2,100 carries and 10,000 yards, Derrick Henry, by all accounts, should be fading off into the sunset. Yet he remains unimpeded, breaking off 87-yard TD runs and accelerating past defensive backs who are in their early-to-mid 20s. He is actively defying an era of football that does not value his position. Had he not gotten hurt in 2021 (he rushed for 937 yards in just eight games) he would have surpassed the 10k mark in eight seasons. He has the fifth most rushing yards in a single season, and is one of just eight running backs to eclipse 2,000 yards.
As it stands, Adrian Peterson is a sure-fire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, then you have others like Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch, and LeSean McCoy. Maybe not first ballot, but they all have serious cases for getting in. In terms of active running backs, Derrick Henry stands alone. If Christian McCaffrey can stay healthy (he’s injured again this year), he absolutely has the talent to be a Hall-of-Famer, but his circumstances thus far leave him with an uphill battle.
The King has shown no signs of slowing down. Who knows how many more carries, yards, and years he has left in him? All I know for certain is, after he retires, it’s going to be a long time until we see a running back like him again.
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