The Dallas Cowboys largely sat on the sidelines during the first wave of free agency when the major signings of players on the open market occur. The biggest splash Dallas made was signing 32-year-old linebacker Eric Kendricks to a one-year, $3 million contract worth a maximum of $3.5 million through incentives as a replacement for a retiring Leighton Vander Esch because he previously played under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer for several years with the Minnesota Vikings.
A glaring need at running back with Tony Pollard departing in free agency to the Tennessee Titans was initially addressed by re-signing Rico Dowdle to a one-year deal worth $1.255 million. Ezekiel Elliott, who was released in March 2023 with a post-June 1 designation, returned on a one-year, $2 million deal worth up to $3 million with incentives in late April after the 2024 NFL Draft.
Henry wanted to be a Cowboy
The Cowboys fumbled away a chance to significantly upgrade at running back. Derrick Henry, who was the NFL’s second-leading rusher last season, wanted to play for Dallas. The 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year suggested playing for the Cowboys would have been the perfect situation because he lives in Dallas during the offseason. “I was like, man, if I’m not in Tennessee or I don’t get to go to Dallas, I’d love to be a Raven,” Henry said on the “Pivot” podcast in early April.
Henry signed a two-year, $16 million contract averaging $8 million per year with the Baltimore Ravens in March at the start of free agency. The deal has $9 million fully guaranteed and is worth as much as $20 million because of incentives.
The Cowboys never expressed any interest in signing Henry. “I thought it’d been some type of reach out, some type of talks or whatever,” Henry said. “They never reached out, you know what I’m saying? … They weren’t really interested. It is what it is.”
Henry got the last laugh on Sunday in…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-cowboys-dropped-ball-on-signing-derrick-henry-filling-rb-hole-despite-dallas-holding-advantages/
Author : Joel Corry
Publish date : 2024-09-25 19:01:22
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
