Cowboys' Jerry Jones Justifies Not Pursuing Derrick Henry: "I Don't Know If He Would Have That Career Year in Our Situation."

The Dallas Cowboys are a team with countless problems.

This includes, above all, running with the ball. The Cowboys rank last in the NFL with 77.2 rushing yards per game, an anchor in an offense that was considered explosive with Dak Prescott carrying the ball to All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb threw.

Instead, the Cowboys have the 20th scoring unit in the league (21 points per game) and most recently lost for the third time in three home games with an embarrassing 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. This leads to Jerry Jones becoming increasingly agitated as the Cowboys owner makes his regular media rounds.

Jerry Jones talks about Derrick Henry

On Tuesday, Jones discussed the Cowboys' running game during his weekly radio appearance with 105.3 The Fan. He did so immediately Monday night after being available to pursue in a Baltimore Ravens offense featuring running back Derrick Henry, who was a free agent in the offseason and available to the Cowboys.

Jones explained Tuesday why he doesn't think Henry would be a difference-maker for the Cowboys this season.

#Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones today on not signing Derrick Henry, via @1053thefan: “Derrick is having a career year. I don’t know if he would have a career year in our situation…We don’t run that type of offense at all…Derrick didn’t fit, mostly because of cap management.” pic.twitter.com/q8QPMB0zRd

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 22, 2024

“In my opinion we’re not playing very good football at all at the moment,” Jones said. “It’s not about whether we have Derrick Henry or not. Derrick Henry is having a career year.”

Jones then seemed to acknowledge that the Ravens have a better offensive system than the Cowboys.

“I don’t know if he would have that career year in our situation,” Jones continued. “And that’s really something to really pay attention to. Because if he didn’t have as many carries as our running backs, he probably wouldn’t have had the impact that he did.”

“And then he’s a really good addition to the type of offense they run. We don’t run that kind of offense at all.”

Things are not going well for the Cowboys and their owner Jerry Jones. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Derrick Henry was a steal in Baltimore

Henry increased his league-best rushing total with 169 yards in Baltimore's 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. His 81-yard game in the third quarter yielded more yards than the Cowboys' average on the ground per game.

It contributed to a league-best rushing attack that averaged an astounding 210.9 yards on the ground per game. That's more than 55 yards per game more than the next best running game in the league, which boasts an explosive Lions offense.

Henry signed with the Ravens for two years and $16 million. That's a relatively small amount compared to his production and the value he brings to Baltimore. But due to a league that places little value on even the game's best running backs and Henry's advanced age for his position – 30 years old – he signed as one of the biggest bargains of the offseason.

Should the Cowboys have pursued Henry?

The Cowboys, meanwhile, brought back Ezekiel Elliott on a one-year deal with $2 million guaranteed. It was, at best, an optimistic deal for the running back, who hasn't averaged more than four yards per carry since 2021 and hasn't looked like a difference-maker since running behind one of the league's best offensive lines early in his first stint in Dallas.

Elliott joined a backfield that featured Rico Dowdle, who has never rushed for more than 361 yards or averaged more than 4.2 yards per carry in a single season. In short, the Cowboys have a bunch of guys running behind an offensive line that is no longer one of the best in the league. And it shows on the field.

So should the Cowboys have pursued Henry in the offseason? Jones explained Monday that the decision not to do so was based solely on salary cap calculations.

“Now Derrick Henry didn’t fit, mostly because of cap management and the anticipation of the players we would sign weeks later or the anticipation of the players we would sign in the future,” Jones said.

The Cowboys have prioritized signing Prescott and Lamb to long-term contracts and face a contract decision with linebacker Micah Parsons next offseason. These are all deals that Dallas should prioritize.

But it's hard to look at Henry's performance in Baltimore compared to the Cowboys' season so far and conclude that Dallas is better off for not pursuing Henry for less than $10 million per season.