Insider Straightens Conflicting Cowboys Rumors on RB Derrick Henry

Getty Cowboys rumors target Derrick Henry

One of the big questions around the NFL at last week’s trade deadline focused on conflicting Cowboys rumors, specifically, whether the team was looking for help at running back after starter Tony Pollard underwhelmed in the season’s early going. More specifically, the question was whether the Cowboys rumors around Titans running back Derrick Henry were accurate.

There were reports that the Cowboys were not pursuing Henry. There were Cowboys rumors that the team could be a “sleeper” in a Henry trade. And there was Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd, who consistently pushed the rumor that the Cowboys could go for Henry.

But ESPN insider Dan Graziano on Wednesday tried to lay all the talk to rest. No, the rumors about the Cowboys and Henry were not accurate, nor was anything involving the Cowboys pursuing a running back.

“In spite of rumors linking them to the Titans’ Derrick Henry, I’m told the Cowboys did not engage teams in talks for running backs. They like their running back room,” Graziano wrote.

Rico Dowdle Getting a Bigger Chance in Dallas?

To be sure, it has not been a stellar year for Tony Pollard, and that was the fuel for the Cowboys rumors around the trade deadline. Pollard was excellent to start the year with 264 yards and two touchdowns in the first three weeks for the Cowboys, but he has not rushed for more than 53 yards in any of the last five games.

If there were any Cowboys rumors to make note of, Graziano said, it was the possibility that backup Rico Dowdle could play a bigger role going forward. Dowdle has played in all eight games for the Cowboys but he has only 35 carries for 133 yards.

“Don’t be surprised to see a few more carries for backup Rico Dowdle in the coming weeks,” Graziano wrote. “The Cowboys still believe in Tony Pollard, and they believe their offensive line’s performance is a bigger part of their run game struggles than their lead back. But they also acknowledge the run game isn’t working the way they need it to, and mixing in Dowdle is one way they could try to address it in the short term.”

Several Pushed Derrick Henry Cowboys Rumors

Now, the Cowboys rumors of a trade for Derrick Henry would have gone further in addressing it, no doubt. And again, there was plenty of smoke around the possibility even if, as Graziano wrote, there was no fire in the end. But the logic behind the rumor was sound.

“They could use a thumper,” Cowherd said on his Fox Sports show. “Also, it makes them less reliant on Dak. They’re always better playing with a lead, downhill, than they are coming from behind. So, this gives them time of possession advantages, red zone advantages, less reliant on Dak advantages, I actually think it’s a great take.”

The Titans ultimately kept Henry in place, ending the rumors around the Cowboys and everyone else. His sizable contract—he is in the final year of a four-year, $50 million deal that pays him $16 million this season—and the fact that he is past his Pro Bowl days tamped down the market for him.

Which is too bad because, though he is playing for a Tennessee team that’s going nowhere, Henry has had 273 yards in his last three games. That would be a nice fit for this Cowboys bunch.