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It’s one of the most persistent what-ifs of the early offseason for the Cowboys, but with free agency rapidly approaching the start line, this running back rumor seems like it may- possibly- have legs.
Derrick Henry is being linked to the Cowboys, at least conversationally, by an interesting list of observers and analysts. Nothing concrete, mind you: just a tidbit of info here, a scrap of conjecture there, a sprinkling of armchair-matchmaking thrown in on the side. But add it all up, and maybe it’s worth actual consideration.
Henry just turned 30, and among active backs, only Ezekiel Elliott has more career rushing attempts on his résumé. But Henry is also a two-time league rushing champ, a four-time Pro Bowler, and was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year just four seasons ago. Coming off his fifth 1,000-yard campaign out of his last six and leading the league in yards after contact, it’s hard to call him washed.
Yes, his average of 4.2 yards per carry last year lands him just outside the NFL’s top 20, but he led the league in attempts (with zero fumbles, mind you), finished second in ground yards, and was top-10 in touchdowns. He did precisely what the Titans asked him to do: be a 6-foot-3-inch, 245-pound bludgeon. But more on that in a minute.
Let’s start where the Joneses always do. The money. One of the top available free agents at any position, Henry is going to get offers. But this year’s crowded running back pool may drive his signing price down to a palatable level for many teams, maybe even Dallas.
As ESPN analyst and former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum notes, “if I can get Henry on a fully guaranteed one-year deal under $10 million, I’m jumping at that chance.” Tannenbaum says he’d offer the former Heisman winner a fully-guaranteed $8 million for one year.
Given what Henry still brings to the table, that’s a relative bargain. It may be less than what some other clubs will float in front of him, but it might be enough for Henry to hitch his wagon to the Cowboys star.
Remember, Henry has intimated before he’d like to play in Dallas. He’s lived in Dallas. He trains in Dallas. Even though the new house he just bought in Dallas should in no way be taken as some kind of signal that he’s coming, it may help tip the scales and make the Cowboys a more attractive package.
Consider, too, that the Cowboys would not be looking at Henry as a bell cow back or the centerpiece of the offense. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb will continue to post big numbers through the air, and Jake Ferguson will still be asked to soften up the middle of the field, but Henry- and presumably, a younger and shiftier complementary rusher that he’d be paired with- would keep defensive fronts honest in a way that they haven’t had to be in a minute when facing the Cowboys.
Suddenly, $8 million to work close to home and pour maximum effort into fewer carries and lots of goal-line glory work seems like it might be very appealing to a heavily-used eight-year veteran who’s 500 yards away from cracking 10,000 career yards and knocking on the door of the all-time top-10 in rushing touchdowns.
Red zone rushing success was a particular bugaboo for Mike McCarthy’s group last year. It has been for a while. Both Jerry and Stephen Jones have been vocal about improving along the offensive line in order to run the ball more effectively; a bruiser like Henry can help make even a mediocre line look even better.
Maybe- just maybe– making a play for Henry is the kind of move Jerry alluded to when he teased doing “some things differently” and “going all-in on different people than you’ve done in the past.”
“They need a hammer,” ESPN analyst and former NFL exec Louis Riddick said of the Cowboys recently on the network’s Get Up. “They need a Derrick Henry-type to go along with a guy, who on third down can catch balls out of the backfield, and I don’t think they need to go ahead and extend themselves to get a Saquon Barkley. … That is not what puts Dallas over the hump. It’s just not.”
In addition to an imposing physical presence and still strong numbers, Riddick likes the intangibles Henry would bring to the Cowboys.
“They need an attitude back,” he continued. “Derrick Henry, he brings an attitude and makes you change yours or check yours, which is, ‘Do I really want this? Do I really want to deal with this in the fourth quarter?’ Because you know what? Isn’t this how teams play Dallas?”
All of that may make sense on paper. But it turns out there may also be something real hiding in those tea leaves.
That’s according to Dallas sports radio jock Jeff Cavanaugh of 97.1 The Freak. He cautioned listeners this week that he’s no beat reporter and doesn’t pursue the story, per se, but he is connected with sources close to the team and players.
“Sometimes you stumble upon things,” Cavanaugh said. “Then I heard from another person today. Don’t write that off. That’s a real smoke/fire, fire/smoke situation. … We’ll see, but just know: that is absolutely not an impossibility.”