Derrick Henry, at age 32, is playing like he did at age 22. And he’s in position to make a climb up the all-time rushing list.
With 13,163 career yards, could Henry get all the way to the top?
The guy who holds the No. 1 spot — Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith — believes he can.
“Oh yeah, I think it’s possible,” Smith said recently, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “Derrick Henry is a bigger back. He takes great care of his body. He’s in great shape.”
Smith has said he hopes someone breaks the record in his lifetime. He wishes Walter Payton had still been alive when Smith broke the prior record of 16,726 yards.
Currently, Henry trails Smith by 5,193 yards. To get to 18,355, Henry will need to keep rolling for at least four more seasons beyond 2026. That’s 84 more games. At an average of 61.8 yards per game, he’ll get there.
While Father Time remains undefeated, Henry has been defying it. If he wants to keep going, and if his body holds up, he could get there.
For now, he’s only 97 yards behind Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson. With another 403, he’ll catch Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis. With 22 more, he’ll match Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson. And with 417, he’ll tie Hall of Famer Curtis Martin.
In all, Henry is 940 yards away from leapfrogging Dickerson, Bettis, Tomlinson, and Martin. Each of whom are in Canton. Henry will surely get there, too.
Especially if he keeps working his way to the top of the all-time rushing list.
