It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has been one of the most dominant running backs in NFL history since becoming a starter.
Over his last 66 games played, Henry has tallied an impressive 8,314 total yards (125.9 total yards per game), 7,318 of which have come on the ground (110.8 rushing yards per game).
Buy Titans TicketsTo put those numbers into perspective, Jim Brown currently holds the highest rushing average for an entire career, totaling 104.3 yards per game.
We’re legitimately witnessing one of, if not the greatest running back primes in NFL history. Yet, for some reason, people still try to downplay how great he’s been and act like he’s some fringe Hall of Fame candidate.
The good news is, the Alabama legend is starting to approach undeniable milestones that will undoubtedly quiet his naysayers.
Henry needs 97 rushing yards to eclipse Earl Campbell’s 8,574 rushing yards, which would move him into second place in franchise history behind Eddie George (10,009).
Also, the former Heisman-winning ball carrier currently sits at 79 career rushing touchdowns, just one rushing touchdown away from becoming the seventh NFL player in the Super Bowl era (1966-present) to reach 8,000 rushing yards and 80 rushing touchdowns within his first eight seasons.
The other players on the list are Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Shaun Alexander, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Adrian Peterson.
.@KingHenry_2 is less than 100 yards away from passing Earl Campbell to claim second place for the most yards in #Oilers–#Titans franchise history behind @EddieGeorge2727. pic.twitter.com/pDGwTF2DsX
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 21, 2023
Sanders, Smith, Dickerson and Tomlinson are all in the Hall of Fame, and Peterson is expected to be inducted once eligible.
In addition to those two milestones, Henry crossing over 8,500 rushing yards would make the Oilers/Titans the first franchise in league history to have three different players rush for 8,500 yards with the same team.
Sadly, the truth of the matter is we’re probably closer to the end than we are to the start of this dominant run, which is why everyone should appreciate it while it’s here instead of nitpicking every single thing to discredit what he’s doing.
With the inevitable emergence of Tyjae Spears, this could be the year we finally see a statistical decline for Henry by season’s end, but it could also result in having the freshest version of Henry we’ve ever seen by year’s end.
Whatever the case may be, enjoy No. 22 while he’s still wearing the two-tone blue because we may never see anything like him ever again.
