This weekend, history will most likely be taking place when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Cincinnati Bengals for Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season, as Derrick Henry is 18 yards away from hitting the 10,000 rushing yards milestone for his career.
And Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott's decline might make it even sweeter.
The former No. 4 overall pick is one of the very few that could be in a position to match Henry down the road, as he sits behind the Ravens RB among active players at 8,985 career rushing yards. Zeke is 15 yards away from a milestone of his own: 9,000 career rushing yards. However, with the trajectory his career is in, his chances certainly seem very low to reach the following 10k step.
A to Z Sports' own Sam Phalen did an excellent job breaking down the unique meaning behind Henry's inevitable accomplishment , making the case that he might just be the last ever 10,000 rushing yard running back in NFL history.
And I know what many are thinking: Ever!? There's no way. But there is. Consider one of Phalen's best arguments from the article:
The league has started to view running backs as interchangeable pieces. The new meta is to always have two running backs who split touches in a versatile offense. Four of the top six rushing offenses in 2023 (CHI, BAL, MIA, DET) had a backfield that was shared by two or more running backs.
The Ravens and Bears were the best running teams in football. Neither had a 1,000-yard rusher, but both had three different running backs with over 300 rushing yards and a mobile quarterback on the team.
Still, the question is worth discussing: Could Elliott eventually do it and potentially water down Henry's milestone?
Will Ezekiel Elliott reach 10,000 career rushing yards?
If I had to bet, I wouldn't hesitate to do so against it. Elliott's career has been in a steady decline, as he lacks the explosive burst he once had as he racked up three seasons of 1,300+ rushing yards in his first four years in the NFL. In those four seasons, Elliott totaled 65 explosive rushes (10+ yards). In the last four seasons, not including 2024, he had 20. He has none through four weeks this year.
Elliott's big career numbers were also the result of heavy workloads as he had over 300 carries in three seasons between 2016 and 2019. It would've been four it wasn't for a 6-game suspension served in 2017.
These days, Elliott is losing ground on the Cowboys' depth chart, logging an 18% snap count in Week 4, for example. At this rate, it doesn't look like he'll be even reach 500 yards this season. And that's on a thin RB room like Dallas'.
If Zeke does reach the 10,000-yard mark, it'll be on the shoulders of great early production. But right now, he needs something to change to buy into the idea that he will. That, or play several more years as RB2 or RB3 and go with the milestone by volume route.
Related: Dallas Cowboys take a huge L in Week 5 and it's not even Sunday
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