Sunday offered a big, bruising reminder of the Dallas Cowboys‘ underwhelming offseason.
Dallas suffered a 28-25 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens, who saw star running back Derrick Henry rush 25 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Cowboys’ top running backs combined for just 38 yards on 11 carries.
The Cowboys were connected to Henry before he signed with Baltimore in free agency. However, after Sunday’s loss, Dallas owner Jerry Jones claimed signing Henry never was in the cards.
Jerry Jones Claims Cowboys ‘Couldn’t Afford’ Derrick Henry
During postgame media availability, Jones was asked about Henry’s performance and why Dallas failed to land the star back.
“Hats off to him,” Jones said via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “He had a great day today. Have all the respect in the world for him,” Jones said. “And so that’s what happens when you don’t sign good ones: They can come back and have a great game against you.
“But bottom line is we couldn’t afford Derrick Henry.”
Jones then was asked why the Cowboys couldn’t have made room for Henry, who signed for two years and $9 million guaranteed.
“Why can’t you buy a mansion when you live in a different kind of house,” Jones said. “We couldn’t afford him. We can’t make that all fit. That’s as simple as that.”
Jones has come under fire for the remarks, which were debated on various sports talk shows Monday morning.
Mike Greenberg tees off on Jerry Jones for saying the Cowboys couldn't afford Derrick Henry:
"Sometimes you can't buy a mansion because you ran up a lot of credit card debt. You made bad financial decisions. And that's what his team and his leadership have done. Maybe if you… pic.twitter.com/oKTaLPQC4E
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 23, 2024
As others have pointed out, the Cowboys could’ve been creative in fitting Henry under the salary cap, which can be manipulated in myriad ways.
For example, they could’ve kickstarted the offseason by restructuring contracts for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb — clearing significant cap space in the process — rather than waiting until the 11th hour to extend both players.
Jones can also blame himself for last year’s acquisition of Trey Lance, who’s guaranteed $5.3 million this season despite being the third QB on the depth chart.
So, Jones’ comments about Henry don’t pass the smell test in either nostril.
How Have Dallas Running Backs Performed This Season?
Not landing Henry would be an easier pill to swallow if the Cowboys were seeing comparable production from their running backs. But they’re not — not even close.
Rico Dowdle ran 23 times for just 88 yards and zero touchdowns while adding eight catches for 59 yards in the first three games. Ezekiel Elliott, meanwhile, has been even worse, with 19 carries for 62 yards and one touchdown to go along with five catches for 31 yards.
According to TruMedia, the Cowboys are averaging 3.6 yards per carry as a team, the fourth-lowest average in the NFL. With Henry leading their backfield, the Ravens have the best mark at 5.9 yards per carry.
Dallas is one of seven teams with zero rushes of 20+ yards this season. The Cowboys also rank 13th with a minus 0.55 rush EPA (expected points added) per game, and dead last in explosive rush percentage at 1.6%.
Meanwhile, the Ravens are first in rush EPA and third in explosive rush percentage.
A middling rushing attack isn’t the only thing plaguing the Cowboys, as their loaded defense also disappointed in the first three weeks.
However, the offense would be better equipped to make up the difference if it had someone like Henry in the backfield. And, despite what Jones wants fans to believe, the Cowboys could’ve signed Henry if they’d really wanted to.