By most accounts, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is having an incredible season months after the superstar said he wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys. The All-Pro ran for 169 yards on 15 carries in the Ravens dominating 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
Henry leads the league with 873 rushing yards on 134 carries (6.5 yards average per rush) and eight touchdowns through the first seven games of the regular season.
At the age of 30, Henry is on pace to do what he did in 2019 and 2020 when he was the NFL’s rushing yards leader. However, one executive isn’t sure how big of an asset Henry would be on their team.
Jerry Jones: Derrick Henry wouldn’t work on our offense
During an appearance Tuesday on 105.5 The Fan, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones volunteered that he wasn’t sure Henry would have the same success in Dallas.
“I don’t know if he’d be having a career year in our situation,” Jones said via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “We don’t run that type of offense at all. … Derrick Henry didn’t fit (because of) managing the (salary) cap.”
Jones preemptively brought up the topic of Henry after ESPN broadcasters Troy Aikman and Joe Buck hinted the Cowboys made a mistake by not signing Henry this offseason during the Ravens running back’s spectacular night against a solid Tampa Bay front seven.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan for the first time since he got angry about their questions regarding Dallas’ lack of offseason moves: “I’m surprised that last week got the attention it got.”
Before being asked, Jones brought up the Cowboys not having interest in…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 22, 2024
Some fans on social media thought Jones was taking a shot at his roster by saying Henry wouldn’t fit with the Cowboys offense. However, Jones has made a habit of defending his roster from the offseason through the bye week. Jones didn’t suddenly change his mind at the prospects of his talented locker room a week after he threatened two radio host’s jobs over the topic.
(Jones did throw head coach Mike McCarthy under the bus, though.)
What Jones did do was suggest that Henry wouldn’t be able to make the adjustment to the Cowboys offense and have a stellar season in Dallas–at least not good enough that it would have been worth it to make the signing.
That’s a bold take for the executive and chief of the front office to say about the best running back in the league this year.
How are the Dallas Cowboys doing without Henry?
Instead, Jones decided to sign Ezekiel Elliott and have a running back by committee. And the results are not working out for Dallas. RB1 Rico Dowdle is the 37th-ranked running back in the regular season. The Cowboys rank dead last in yards per carry at 3.5 yards per rush. At 6.2 yards per rush, the Ravens lead the league with an offensive line that has three new starters for the 2024 season, thanks to Henry.
For More Football News:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NFL news, click here!