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Among the many issues for the Cowboys worth watching heading into Week 3 is the state of the running game, which has been a disappointment even in a win against the Browns but especially in a blowout loss to the Saints. And facing off against the Ravens this week adds a special wrinkle, because for much of the offseason, one player who was repeatedly linked to the Cowboys will be on the field for Baltimore: future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry.
When it was apparent that the Cowboys would not be bringing back Tony Pollard after last season, the hope around the team was that they’d be looking for a between-the-tackles bruiser, a job few fill better than Henry. who was heading to the free-agent market.
Henry has a house in Dallas. In four of the last five years, he led the league in carries, showing what a workhorse he can be. He was leaving Tennessee after eight years with the Titans. His focus was on winning a Super Bowl. Indeed, all the stars seemed aligned for the Cowboys to make a run at him.
But when free agency hit: Crickets. Henry got two-years and a modest $16 million from the Ravens. The Cowboys brought back Ezekiel Elliott for one year and $2 million. As David Moore wrote in the Dallas Morning News, citing organization sources: “The Cowboys had no intent on spending money at the running back position.”
Cowboys’ Jerry Jones: ‘That’s Not Really Connected’
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas this week, shrugged off the fact that the Cowboys were so intricately linked to Henry in free agency. He said that such links never came from him or the team.
“There are a lot of good players that you are connected with,” Jones said. “When you’ve got movement, I’ll bet you’re connected with 90% of all the free-agents that are out there. That’s not really connected, at all. That’s a name.”
Jones had some praise for Henry but said he was never seriously considered in Dallas.
“He’s a heck of a running back, but you won’t find anyone who will do a better job than the one we saw on Sunday, Alvin Kamara with the New Orleans Saints,” Jones said. “Have all the respect in the world for him, he is a top running back. We got other things we’ve got to get ready to do other than just regret or lament on whether or not we signed one of those players we’re playing on Sunday.”
Derrick Henry Off to Slow Start With Ravens
To be fair to Jones, while the Dallas run game has struggled– the Cowboys have gained just 170 yards on the ground, 25th in the NFL, and their average of 3.7 yards per attempt ranks 26th—Henry has not been great, either, with 130 yads in 31 attempts in two games thus far. He does have two touchdowns.
But he is wrong to suggest that the Cowboys-Henry connection is all a media construct. Henry himself indicated he’d like to play for the Cowboys, and said on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast:
Henry said earlier in the offseason, in an appearance on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, that his priority is winning—but he is not looking to play for free, either.
“I want to be somewhere that, whatever happens, gives me the best shot at winning the Super Bowl. The business side, there’s a business side. It has to make sense. I’m not going to just accept anything, at the same time, because it is a long season and we put our bodies through a lot. But I definitely want to be on a roster that can go out there and put ourselves in position to win games and get in the playoffs and contend for a ring.”
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