Cowboys owner Jerry Jones refuses to subscribe to idea of Derrick Henry setting records in Dallas’ offense
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't think Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry would thrive in his team's offense. Henry was one of the top free-agent running backs available this offseason, but the Cowboys opted not to sign him.
Henry has since been a force with the Ravens, while the Cowboys are struggling in the running game. Henry ranks first in the NFL in rushes, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Yet Jones still doesn't think Henry would have played well in Dallas.
“I don’t know if he’d be having a career year in our situation. … We don’t run that type of offense at all. … Derrick Henry didn’t fit (because of) managing the (salary) cap," Jones said.
The Cowboys rank 32nd in the NFL with 463 rushing yards, which is just 77.1 rushing yards per game.
Why didn't Jerry Jones' Cowboys pursue Derrick Henry in free agency?
The Dallas Cowboys had a glaring need at running back in free agency, but the team didn't pursue Derrick Henry.
Henry lives in Dallas and even he was surprised they didn't show any interest in him.
"I live in Dallas and that's basically home and that made the most sense if the Ravens weren't interested because that's right there, but clearly they weren't interested and the Ravens were so it worked out the way it needed to," Henry said on The Dan Patrick Show.
As Jerry Jones mentioned, Dallas didn't have the cap room to afford Henry. Instead, the team decided to extend CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott to massive deals.
Third-string quarterback Trey Lance has a cap hit of $5.31 million, which is fully guaranteed, and that salary could have been used to add a running back, as Lance wasn't needed for Dallas.
But the Cowboys opted to trade for him in August of 2023, which was a surprise, given Dallas has Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush.
Dallas will return to the field on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.