OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- During a sideline interview of the Baltimore Ravens' preseason game at the Minnesota Vikings, running back Derrick Henry was asked how his body feels going into his 11th NFL season.
"Let's do 11 more," Henry said with a chuckle.
Henry has made it clear this summer that this season will not be his last. But this season will likely be a momentous one nonetheless.
Henry, who currently ranks 10th on the NFL's all-time rushing list, is 994 yards away from leapfrogging his way to No. 6. He would surpass four Hall of Fame running backs -- Eric Dickerson, Jerome Bettis, LaDainian Tomlinson and Curtis Martin -- who combined for 11 first-team All-Pro selections and seven single-season rushing titles.
If Henry can rush for 1,811 yards this season, which he's surpassed twice in his career -- most recently in his debut season with the Ravens in 2024, he would move past Adrian Peterson for No. 5 on the all-time rushing list.
Running back Justice Hill, who is Henry's primary backup, smiled when asked if Henry knows how many yards he needs to climb the league's career rushing ranks.
"He's well aware of where he stands right now," Hill said. "And he's well aware of what he needs to get to get in the top five because we talk about it."
Hill added, "When you go into a season, you always talk about your goals and things you're trying to achieve. And even though he's not going to talk about it out here, it's definitely a striving factor for him."
Henry made the big jump last season, going from No. 19 on the all-time rushing list to No. 10. When Henry eclipsed Tony Dorsett to move into the top 10 last December, he said, "It's a surreal moment for me and something that I always cherish."
In Henry's two seasons in Baltimore, he has led the NFL in rushing yards (3,516) and carries (632). But, this season, Henry will be playing in a new offensive system, which is nothing new for him.
Declan Doyle, who replaced Todd Monken as the playcaller in Baltimore, is Henry's eighth offensive coordinator of his 11-year career. Doyle wouldn't commit to Henry getting over 300 carries for a third straight year but indicated Henry will have "an immense role."
"He's going to have a pretty large workload," Doyle said. "I was telling the offensive staff how cool it is when you call a run play [as a] first-time playcaller and Derrick Henry is the running back, and you're like, 'The odds of this working are a lot higher.'"
Other attainable milestones for Henry include:
- Henry needs two rushing touchdowns to surpass Marcus Allen (123) for the third-most touchdown runs in NFL history.
- He can tie Tomlinson for the most consecutive seasons and most total seasons with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in NFL history (10).
- He can surpass Barry Sanders (five) for the most seasons with at least 1,500 rushing yards in league history.
Henry's teammates believe his work ethic is even more impressive than his numbers.
"What this guy has been able to do, we all know -- first-ballot [Hall of Famer]. Who he is as a person -- I've never seen the guy complain," linebacker Roquan Smith said. "[He] comes in day in, day out, grinds, never takes the easy route. I am just truly happy to have him on my team now and not have to worry about going against him."
When Smith previously had to go head-to-head with Henry, Smith acknowledged that all you think about all week is going against "The King."
"Like, he's -- 6-foot-3, 6-4, 260 [pounds], whatever he weighs -- [and he looks like] a Greek god," Smith said. "So, you were definitely going down there making sure you had your chin strap maybe a little tight, a little extra air in your helmet and everything like that."
In addition to ascending the NFL's career rushing yards, Henry has become the benchmark for durability among running backs. He's the active leader with 2,662 career carries, which are 822 more than any other current running back.
Henry scoffed this summer when he's been asked about whether he's contemplated retirement. When he recently told a podcast that he would like to finish his career with the Ravens, he felt it got misconstrued that he was soon calling it quits.
Henry wrote on social media: "I never said anything about retiring lol , I'm enjoying being a Raven . I'll worry about that retirement s--- later."
Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley said no one should try to predict when Henry is walking away from the game.
"As long as he is having fun and he feels good, he could play as long as he wants because they do not build humans like that," Stanley said.
So, could Henry eventually become the NFL's all-time rushing champion? He's 5,337 yards rushing behind Emmitt Smith, who ran for a league-best 18,355 yards in his 15-year career.
Including this season, if Henry plays five more to equal Smith, he would need to average 1,068 yards each year to capture the No. 1 spot.
Hill thinks Henry has a chance to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher.
"There's no end in sight for him," Hill said. "You talk to some guys, and they're like, 'I get one more good season, maybe two more.' You couldn't tell that with Derrick. He might play another five years."