Ravens' Derrick Henry Tops RB Ranking

At the position with probably the shortest shelf life in football, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry continues to defy Father Time.

In 2024, his age-30 season and his first in Baltimore, Henry put up possibly the best performance of his career with 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns, tied for the most in the league. He also averaged a career-high 5.9 yards per carry, showing that he isn't slowing down any time soon.

It's remarkable that a running back in his early 30s is still among the best at the position. In fact, Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema recently ranked him as the very best in the league.

"Even at 31 years old, King Henry is deserving of this list's No. 1 spot. He led the NFL in PFF rushing grade in 2024 (93.5), winning PFF’s Best Runner award," Sikkema wrote. "Henry also boasts the highest PFF rushing grade in a three-year sample size going back to 2022 (94.2). Last season, he forced the most missed tackles (89) and ripped off the second-most runs of 10 yards or more (53)."

Most rankings have Henry as the second-best running back in the league after Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley, and it's not hard to see why. Barkley, 28, rushed for 2,005 yards - becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards - and 13 touchdowns in his first season with the Eagles to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors. He then rushed for another 499 yards and five touchdowns in the postseason to lead the Eagles to a dominant Super Bowl victory.

However, it seems the underlying numbers favor Henry, though the two superstars are obviously extremely close.

Earlier this month, the Ravens signed Henry to a two-year, $30 million extension that keeps him under contract through the 2027 season. Though he'll be 34 at the end of that contract, the Ravens have full faith in him to continue his elite level of play.

"The Ravens organization is one of the best in the league, and then Derrick came here, and he's top notch and one of the best running backs in the league, and he just fit everything about us," running backs coach Willie Taggart told reporters on May 19.