Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is approaching a significant milestone as he enters the 2025 National Football League season. Henry needs 1,317 rushing yards to pass seven Pro Football Hall of Famers and join the top 10 in career rushing yards.
If Henry reaches this total, he will surpass Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk, Jim Brown, and Tony Dorsett. Henry commented on the possibility of joining such a list. “It’d definitely be a surreal moment for my name to be mentioned with those legends,” Henry said, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “I pray it happens, but I’m living in the moment every day.”
Entering the new season with 11,432 rushing yards—the highest among active National Football League running backs—Henry holds a lead of nearly 4,000 yards over Joe Mixon. In addition to climbing the career rushing yards leaderboard, Henry is also positioned to move up the all-time rushing touchdowns rankings. He shares No. 6 with Hall of Famer Jim Brown at 106 touchdowns and could move past Adrian Peterson into No. 4 if he scores 15 touchdowns this season.
Justice Hill, another Baltimore Ravens running back, spoke about Henry’s mindset and potential legacy. “The way his mentality is in a game, it is actually cool to observe because you kind of see the difference between a normal guy in the league and somebody that’s going to be a Hall of Famer one day,” Hill said.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also praised Henry’s abilities and future prospects: “I think Derrick Henry is in that category (…) I know he still feels like he has a ton to prove, and I want him to prove a ton.”
At age thirty, Henry is coming off one of his strongest seasons with 1,921 rushing yards and eighteen total touchdowns while achieving a personal best average of 5.9 yards per carry. As he continues his pursuit for records and team achievements—including Baltimore’s aim for its first Super Bowl since the 2012-13 season—Henry remains focused on both individual milestones and team goals.
