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When Derrick Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens in March on a two-year, $16 million deal, the move was met with a collective “Uh-oh” from the rest of the league. Given how prolific the Ravens rushing attack had been since Lamar Jackson became the team's starting quarterback midway through the 2018 season, dropping the league's most feared running back into the mix seemed like something a kid would do while playing Franchise mode on Madden.
The early results have been just as devastating as many expected. The Baltimore Ravens lead the league in rushing by a wide margin. Lamar Jackson is having what is statistically his best passing season ever, while also on pace for his first 1,000 yard rushing season since 2020. But with all due respect to the two-time MVP, that's not the big story here, because Derrick Henry is on track to accomplish something that's even more impressive.
By fifteen yards, Derrick Henry is currently on pace to break Eric Dickerson's long-standing NFL record for rushing yards in a season. Dickerson has held onto the record for 40 years, but now for the second time in his career, Derrick Henry could come within striking distance. And Lamar Jackson believes his teammate can get the job done this time around.
“It's there,” Jackson said after Wednesday's practice, per Jamison Henley of ESPN.com. “I feel like he has a great chance of achieving that. I think he can do it. I believe he can do it.”
Given that it's only been seven weeks, it is a bit premature to forecast a record-breaking season. But Henry's track record, and Baltimore's for that matter, suggests he'll be in the mix. In 2020, Henry rushed for 2,027 yards, coming up just under 100 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's long-standing record. It was the 5th-most prolific rushing season in league history, trailing only Dickerson (2,105 yards), Adrian Peterson (2,097), Jamal Lewis (2,066) and Barry Sanders (2,053).
But even with a second chance to eclipse Eric Dickerson's mark, Derrick Henry isn't focused on setting records.
“I don't really try to think about that too much,” Henry said when asked about the rushing record. “Just focus on me doing my job and being better and better every week. I don't really try to get into the statistics of things. I focus on the team goals.”
Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry duo gives Ravens dangerous 1-2 punch
In 2019, the Baltimore Ravens set the NFL record with 3,296 yards rushing as a team. This year, Baltimore has out-rushed their opponents by 997 yards through seven weeks, and are on pace to break their own record by nearly 300 yards. It's for this reason that the Ravens could could end up with the league's MVP (Lamar Jackson) and the Offensive Player of the Year (Derrick Henry). Furthermore, it's why Baltimore is arguably the greatest threat to Kansas City's bid to three-peat as Super Bowl champions.
But a potential rematch with the Chiefs is further down the line than we need to look right now. For now, we should focus on the fact that Derrick Henry, at age 30, is eyeing history, and not just for his efforts this season.
Henry's 10,375 rushing yards are most among active players in the league, and 30th in the history of the NFL. If he continues on this pace for the entirety of the 17-game season this year, he'll pass the likes of Marshawn Lynch, Eddie George, OJ Simpson, and John Riggins, and be at No. 18 all-time by year's end.
