Ravens' Derrick Henry Joins Historic NFL Club with 12,000 Career Rushing Yards

Derrick Henry joined an elite club on Thursday night.

The Baltimore Ravens star running back reached 12,000 career rushing yards against the Miami Dolphins, making him just the 17th player in NFL history to do so. He's just the eighth player in NFL history with 12,000 yards and 100 rushing touchdowns.

He reached the 12,000-yard mark with an explosive run in the third quarter.

Henry has arguably been the best running back of his generation, leading the NFL in rushing yards twice and collecting the most rushing touchdowns three times. He was the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 when he had 2,027 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, both of which were career highs.

The bulk of his rushing yards came with the Tennessee Titans. From 2016 to 2023, he picked up 9,502 rushing yards and 90 touchdowns. He's now carving out a tremendous second act in Baltimore.

One thing that has made Henry so successful is his durability. He's played 15 or more games in every season besides 2021, when he missed the second half of the season with a foot injury.

He's also managed to stay productive as he's gotten older. Many running backs start to taper off in their mid-to-late 20s, but Henry is coming off a season in which he logged 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns at 30 years old.

It will likely be a while before another running back joins the 12,000-yard club. The next closest active running back behind Henry is Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley, who is at 7,735 yards.

After his latest milestone, the next task for Henry is reaching 13,000 rushing yards, a feat only nine other players have done. It's still possible for Henry to get there this season, but he'll almost certainly reach that mark next year if he continues his production.

As far as ending his career as the NFL's all-time rushing yards leader, it's safe to say Emmitt Smith's 18,355 yards won't be surpassed any time soon, if ever.

Henry has achieved plenty of individual marks, but he's still looking for his first Super Bowl ring. The Ravens got off to a rough 2-5 star, but star quarterback Lamar Jackson is now back from injury and Baltimore is looking to close out the season strong and sneak into the playoffs.