The Extra Point: Evaluating Derrick Henry's Legacy

Former Alabama star Derrick Henry is still going strong in his age-30 season.

Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) rushes during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Star running back Derrick Henry's momentum did not stop with his Heisman-winning campaign during his last year of college in 2015. Rather, the former Alabama sensation has maintained a strong pace through eight full NFL seasons and a good start to his ninth.

The 30-year-old phenom, a rare combination of size, speed and power the likes of which few have seen before, signed with the Baltimore Ravens following a productive stint from 2016-23 with the Tennessee Titans. Among Henry's accolades in Nashville are four Pro Bowl selections, a first-team All-Pro nod in 2020, and many more. He also became one of the tailbacks to reach the rare mark of 2,000 single season rushing yards in 2020.

Tennessee still moved on from Henry right around his 30th birthday, paving the way for the Ravens to add him in March as a bell-cow back with a two-year contract that can max out at a total valuation of $20 million. Through three games this season, he's accrued 281 yards to go with four touchdowns, already almost halfway to his full-season 2023 mark of 12. In a game against the Cowboys on September 22, he rushed for 151 yards and a pair of scores.

Henry is, presumably, far from done, but he already has a full career's worth of accomplishments in both the college and NFL ranks. He is one of the greatest players of the Nick Saban era at Alabama and is just shy of 10,000 career rushing yards. As of this writing, he has 9,783 yards to his name in that category.