• Henry's age makes no difference: The 31-year-old posted the highest PFF overall and rushing grades of his career in 2024.
• Henry surpasses Saquon Barkley in several areas: Henry beat out Barkley in yards after contact per attempt (3.50 to 3.17), forced missed tackles per attempt (0.25 to 0.18) and PFF rushing grade (93.1 to 85.6), among other categories.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
PFF's award winners are selected through a voting process exclusive to 28 senior analysts, contributors and members of the PFF staff, ensuring the decisions reflect the insights and expertise of those deeply involved in the game.
This year’s Best Runner is Derrick Henry, who earned 14 votes to claim the honor. The runner-up was Saquon Barkley with 13 votes, while Josh Jacobs rounded out the top three with one vote.
To view all 2024 award winners, click here.
Whether it’s an 87-yard gallop to the end zone to open a game or a 43-yard sprint to close out a division title, Derrick Henry is capable of shutting the door on any unsuspecting defense.
At 31 years old, Henry earns PFF’s “Best Runner” award following the 2024 NFL regular season.
Henry, appropriately nicknamed “King Henry,” joined the Baltimore Ravens this offseason on a modest two-year, $16 million deal after eight years with the Tennessee Titans, having already established himself as one of the game’s best running backs of all time.
For Henry, this season — in a new environment — was about turning back the clock. And 18 weeks later, his 93.1 PFF rushing grade suggests he is far from succumbing to the wear and tear that often derails a running back’s career by age 30.
Highest PFF Rushing Grades by RBs Aged 30 or Older (Since 2006)
| Player | Age (Season)* | PFF Rushing Grade |
| Derrick Henry | 30 (2024) | 93.1 |
| Raheem Mostert | 31 (2023) | 91.3 |
| Fred Taylor | 31 (2007) | 89.4 |
*Age at start of season
The 2016 second-round draft pick finished the regular season with PFF’s highest overall and rushing grades among running backs. He also tallied the most yards after contact, forced missed tackles and first-down runs.
His 1,137 yards after contact were more than all but eight running backs recorded overall — before contact, after contact or with no contact.
This year was nothing new for Henry, who has now thrice earned a 90.0-plus PFF overall grade in a season, but his 94.1 mark is a career-high. He never earned a game grade below 60.0 this season — a first in the veteran’s nine-year NFL tenure.
This season wasn’t without challenges. Henry had to adjust to more trap, power and pull-lead runs in a new offense. The shift didn’t faze him, as he earned a league-high 93.1 PFF rushing grade on such plays.
| Season | Trap % | Power % | Pull Lead % |
| 2024 | 3% | 12% | 10% |
| 2023 | 1% | 7% | 3% |
| 2022 | 1% | 7% | 4% |
| 2021 | 1% | 6% | 7% |
Next to Henry in the conversation for the league’s best running back this season was Saquon Barkley. His record-breaking campaign deserves its kudos, too, with the first-year Philadelphia Eagle becoming just the ninth running back in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season. But Barkley fell short of Henry in several underlying facets, including yards after contact per attempt (3.50 to 3.17), forced missed tackles per attempt (0.25 to 0.18) and PFF rushing grade (93.1 to 85.6). He also ran behind PFF’s top-ranked offensive line.
In the end, King Henry answered all questions that arose when the Ravens signed him this offseason.
A new team? Concerns about his age? One of the hardest defensive schedules in the NFL? New run concepts? None of it mattered.
The King reigned supreme.
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