Darrell Henderson still hasn’t been handed the keys as the Rams’ workhorse running back the way Todd Gurley was for years – and he may never reach that point. He has just one game this season with more than 16 carries, and has just 95 total rush attempts through eight games (11.9 per game).
Yet, Henderson remains one of the most efficient and explosive running backs in the NFL – which is a deadly combination. Of his 95 carries, 16 have gone for at least 10 yards. That’s the fourth-highest total of any running back this year, trailing only Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook and Kareem Hunt.
Most runs of 10+ yards:
🔸Kareem Hunt – 20
🔸Kyler Murray – 18
🔸Dalvin Cook – 18
🔸Derrick Henry – 17
🔸Darrell Henderson – 16 pic.twitter.com/oe1DSEDkso— PFF (@PFF) November 6, 2020
When you compare Henderson’s workload to those of the other four running backs ahead of him, this stat becomes even more impressive.
Here are the number of carries for each running back on PFF’s list above.
- Hunt: 115
- Cook: 122
- Henry: 161
- Henderson: 95
And here is the percentage of runs that have gone for at least 10 yards for each running back.
- Hunt: 17.4%
- Cook: 14.8%
- Henry: 10.2%
- Henderson: 16.8%
It’s reasonable to think that if Henderson gets more opportunities moving forward, he’ll push 1,000 yards rushing. He already has 458 yards in the first eight games, and that’s with barely playing in the season opener against Dallas due to a hamstring injury.
By just about every measure, Henderson has been one of the NFL’s best running backs this year and there’s still room for improvement.
