Saquon Barkley had one of the all time great running back seasons in 2024 for the Philadelphia Eagles, producing 2005 yards off of 345 carries for 13 rushing touchdowns, in addition to 33 receptions for 278 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns.
After being named Offensive Player of the Year, first team All-Pro and Super Bowl champion en route to becoming the highest paid running back in NFL history this past offseason, one would imagine that it would be pretty clear who the #1 back in the league is.
The #1 back in the league who, most importantly, will be going 1.1 in almost every NFL Fantasy draft.
Barkley Snubbed From #1 Spot On PFF’s RB Tier List
Yet, Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus has a different opinion on who the best running back in the league is heading into 2025. In his latest piece he contends that the Baltimore Ravens‘ Derrick Henry, rather than Barkley, is the RB1 of professional football.
“Even at 31 years old, King [Derrick] Henry is deserving of this list’s No. 1 spot.” Sikkema writes, “He led the NFL in PFF rushing grade in 2024 (93.5), winning PFF’s Best Runner award.”
“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).”
Sikkema did have some similarly high praise for Barkley, despite ranking him below Henry.
“Barkley is a big reason why the Philadelphia Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions. He earned an 82.7 PFF rushing grade in 2024 and talied the most runs of 10 yards or more (55). He also led the NFL with 2,504 rushing yards.”
Did Derrick Henry Have a Better Season Than Saquon Barkley?
The end-of-season accolades – as listed above – would indicate otherwise, but the answer to Henry vs Barkley is not as straightforward as one may imagine.
In almost any other year, either one of these players would have been both the best running back and best offensive player in football. Barkley had 84 more rushing yards but carried an extra 20 times, resulting in Henry having an ever so slight yards/carry advantage (5.9) over Barkley (5.8).
Henry also had three more rushing touchdowns, although Barkley managed 85 more receiving yards. Regardless of how you look at the stats, it is incredibly close.
And both also more than passed the eye-test: Henry consistently battered down defenses – like he has always done – in 2024, despite playing behind an inferior offensive line. Whilst Barkley was clearly the most explosive back in football and felt completely unstoppable, regardless of the opposition.
The Lombardi Trophy put a final seal on Barkley’s winning year, but there is certainly some merit to the idea that Henry had a similar quality year to the former Giant.
Ultimately, it is hard to argue against Barkley being number one, and Eagles fans will no doubt feel that their best offensive player is facing disrespect. More fuel for Barkley to bring home yet another world-class season.
