Derrick Henry, at 32, is playing like he did at 22. And he’s in position to move up the all-time rushing list. With 13,163 career yards, could Henry make it to the top? The guy in the No. 1 spot, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, believes he can do it. “Oh yeah, I think it’s possible,” Smith said recently, via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “Derrick Henry is a bigger runner. He takes good care of his body. He’s in great shape.” Smith has said he hopes someone breaks the record in his lifetime. I wish Walter Payton was still alive when Smith broke the previous record of 16,726 yards. Currently, Henry is 5,193 yards behind Smith. To reach 18,355, Henry will need to keep rolling for at least four more seasons after 2026. That’s 84 more games. Averaging 61.8 yards per game, he’ll do it. While Father Time remains undefeated, Henry has been challenging him. If he wants to keep going, and if his body holds up, he could get there. For now, he’s just 97 yards behind Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson. With another 403, he will catch up with Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis. With 22 more, he will tie Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson. And with 417, he will tie Hall of Famer Curtis Martin. In total, Henry is 940 yards away from passing Dickerson, Bettis, Tomlinson and Martin. Each of which is in Canton. Henry will surely get there too, especially if he continues to work his way to the top of the all-time rushing rushers list.
