Ravens GOAT RB: Derrick Henry vs. Jamal Lewis

Can Ravens running back Derrick Henry steal Jamal Lewis' title of the franchise's rushing GOAT?

The Baltimore Ravens made one of the biggest free agent signings of any team in the NFL when they landed future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry.

Now the big question is, does Henry have what it takes at this point in his career to have the greatest rushing season of any rusher in the franchise's history since Jamal Lewis? 

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Henry is one of the most dominant players to ever step on a football field and is one of just eight men to ever run for over 2,000 yards in an NFL season. His 2020 season, when he ran for 2,027 yards, is one of the top-five rushing seasons of any running back in history. However, Lewis ranks third all-time in NFL history, having run for 2,066 yards while playing for Baltimore back in 2003.

It was 19 years ago today that Jamal Lewis pounded the Browns for 295 yards on 30 carries. What a day on the ground. pic.twitter.com/0iWp6mx5kt

— The Exit 52 Podcast (@Exit52Podcast) September 14, 2022

Both men won Offensive Player of the Year trophies for their remarkable seasons, but now Henry must prove that he still has that level of dominance left in his tank at age 30. The King has been an absolute anomaly and joins Baltimore fresh off of a second consecutive Pro Bowl season. 

He finna be looking like prime Jamal Lewis with Lamar back there https://t.co/igXUvr9MfQ

— Chief Ron (@DoGoodRon_) March 15, 2024

When comparing the careers of Henry and Lewis, Lewis remains just above Henry in career rushing yards with 10,607 compared to Henry's 9,502. Assuming that Henry stays healthy this season, he should be able to join Lewis in the 10,000 career rushing yards club and perhaps even take his top 25 spot on the NFL's career rushing yards leaderboard. 

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When Lewis' tenure with the Ravens is examined through the lens of the NFL's modern 17-game season, he averaged 1,457 rushing yards and eight touchdowns per season. Those are certainly impressive numbers, but Henry has the potential to surpass them. He exceeded them as recently as 2022 when he ran for 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Expecting Henry to run for over 2,000 yards at this point in his career while joining a new offense that also utilizes quarterback Lamar Jackson as a rusher is a tall task that's unlikely to be accomplished, but if he can match an average Baltimore season from Lewis', the Ravens could be Super Bowl bound for the first time since 2012.