Set to make more NFL history this Sunday, Derrick Henry has already done enough to convince one Hall of Fame running back he’s already worthy of his own future enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
Henry, the Baltimore Ravens’ Pro Bowl running back, enters Week 5 against the Bengals 18 rushing yards away from 10,000 for his career and one score away from 100 career touchdowns. Terrell Davis, a Hall of Fame running back and fellow 2,000-yard rusher, feels that these milestones are just further validation of Henry’s status as a future Hall of Famer.
“Derrick Henry has always been one of my favorites,” Davis recently told CBS Sports. “He’s just a throwback, man. He’s a large man with breakaway speed. He’s been a model of consistency ever since he stepped foot in the NFL.”
Davis didn’t hesitate when he was asked if Henry is already a Hall of Famer.
“I think he’s already there,” Davis said. “He’s got the 2,000-yard season, a bunch of 200-yard games. Yeah, he’s there.”
Davis is probably right. While there are a good amount of running back with more career yards than Henry, Henry plays in an era where running backs are no longer the vocal point of offenses. That fact is reinforced when you consider that only one other active running back — the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott — has more than 6,600 career rushing yards. Only nine current backs have over 6,000 career rushing yards.
Along with nearing 10,000 rushing yards and 100 touchdowns, Henry’s list of bona fides includes two rushing titles, three seasons where he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns, a 2,000-yard rushing season and an Offensive Player of the Year award.
While he’s already accomplished a lot, Henry doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The 30-year-old, nine-year veteran enters Sunday’s game as this season’s current leader in rushing yards (480) and touchdowns (five). If that wasn’t enough, Henry is currently on pace to become the first player in NFL history with two 2,000-yard rushing seasons.
While most backs begin to fall off after turning 30, it’s clear that Henry is still motivated to perform at a high level. There are surely several things driving him, both internal as well as external.
Henry has never won a Super Bowl, much less played in one, so that opportunity is undoubtedly one of his driving forces at this stage of his career. The Titans (his team during his first eight seasons) electing to part ways with him and his hometown Cowboys not expressing any interest in signing him this offseason are likely other forces of motivation, too.
Along with those motivations, Davis thinks that Henry also has the perspective of a player who can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Derrick recognizes a few things. This is not forever,” Davis said. “It’s taking advantage of the now … and he plays like that. He’s only worried about today. I just love his approach to the game. Obviously his physical skills are tremendous, and I like his approach.”
Davis had a near identical approach during his career. A sixth-round pick of the Broncos in 1995, Davis had to fight to make Denver’s roster that year before earning a spot in the starting lineup. What followed was a meteoric rise that included a 2,000-yard, MVP season in 1998, back-to-back Super Bowl titles, a Super Bowl MVP and the top-two most prolific rushing seasons (including both regular season and playoffs) in NFL history. Davis did all of this during his first four seasons.
Like Henry, Davis got close to challenging Eric Dickerson’s long-standing record for most rushing yards in a regular season (2,105 in 1984). Davis gained 2,008 yards in his MVP season, but he probably would have run away with the record had the Broncos not taken him out so many games early that were already in hand.
“Eric Dickerson and I are really good friends,” Davis said, “and I always tease him. I say, ‘Man, I’m the true rushing champ.’ I have the most rushing yards in a single season with regular season and playoffs, and I joke with him about that.”
Davis wouldn’t trade his Super Bowl wins for anything, but when it comes to his favorite individual milestone, his consecutive record-setting rushing seasons (he rushed for 2,331 total yards in ’97 and 2,476 yards in ’98) take the cake.
“They speak to consistency and accountability,” Davis said. “It’s hard to do that over a two-year span. It rewarded my hard work and how hard I thought I worked to get those. To be able to maintain not only the yards, but I was available. I stayed healthy. I worked hard on my diet. It rewarded everything that I worked really hard for. It kind of showed in those two seasons.”
While his legacy in pro football is secured, Davis is currently focused on helping the next generation establish theirs. Davis has teamed up with Wells Fargo to take part in a content series on financial education targeted toward student-athletes. He is specifically working with and mentoring several student-athletes that includes Georgia running back Rod Robinson II, who actually attended the same high school as Davis.
“We’re helping student-athletes and their families get financial education resources that they need to maximize their potential during this NIL era,” Davis said. “Maximizing earning potential, how to manage your finances, how to avoid the pitfalls. Really, the importance of financial empowerment.”
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