OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith said this week that Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry can break the NFL career rushing record Smith has held since 2002. Henry enters Week 2 with 13,162 rushing yards, which leaves him 5,193 behind Smith’s 18,355.
Smith made the comments in a video posted by DraftKings, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley reported. Henry’s size and the way he takes care of his body are why Smith believes it can happen.
“Oh yeah, I think it’s possible,” Smith said. “Derrick Henry is a bigger back. He takes great care of his body. He’s in great shape.”
Henry is listed at 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds. Smith played at 5-foot-9 and 221 pounds, and he spent 13 of his 15 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before two seasons in Arizona. Smith reached his total in 226 games. Henry has played in 154.
Emmitt Smith Says Derrick Henry Already Broke His Florida High School Record
Both players came out of Florida high school football. Smith set the state career rushing record at Escambia High School in Pensacola with 8,804 yards. Henry ran for 12,124 yards at Yulee High School and took the record from him.
“Y’all don’t know this, but Derrick Henry broke my high school record,” Smith continued. “He broke my state high school record. So I believe he can do it again.”
In 2002, Smith passed Walter Payton and his 16,726 yards for the top spot on the career list. Smith was 33 at the time. He retired at 35 after the 2004 season. Frank Gore, who entered the league the following year, finished his career third with 16,000 yards.
Henry turned 32 on Jan. 4. Since the start of the 2024 season, he has run for an NFL-best 3,660 yards and averaged 104.6 yards per game. He ran for 1,921 yards in 2024. Last season, he ran for 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns. His career high is still the 2,027 yards he ran for in 2020.
Four more seasons of 1,300 yards would put Henry past Smith. Over three seasons, he would need to average 1,731 yards just to tie him.
Derrick Henry Ran For 144 Yards and 3 Touchdowns In Baltimore Ravens Opener
Henry carried 24 times for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns in Baltimore’s 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. One of the touchdowns went for 32 yards. The 3 scores moved Henry into third on the NFL’s career rushing touchdowns list. Smith holds that record too, with 164.
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said Henry’s age keeps coming up in his head.
“As Derrick keeps getting older, you start thinking, ‘He can’t do this forever,'” Humphrey said. “Then he does that and it’s like, ‘Maybe he can.'”
Henry is not ruling out a run at Smith.
“I don’t know,” Henry told ESPN last year. “But, Lord willing, hopefully. So, we’ll see.”
The Ravens host the New Orleans Saints at noon CT on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore then faces the Cowboys on Sept. 27 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, with Dallas as the home team. Kickoff is at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS and Paramount+.
