Cowboys Keep Lying to Fans About Disastrous Offseason Mistake

The Dallas Cowboys were visited by the Ghost of Offseason Past when Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens visited AT&T Stadium over the weekend. After failing to sign the elite rusher during the offseason, Henry led the Ravens to a Week 3 win by torching the Cowboys to the tune of 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

Henry's performance looks even worse given the current state of the Cowboys' backfield. Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn, and Rico Dowdle are all struggling while the Ravens' runner gave Dallas fans a first-row seat to what could've been had Jerry Jones & Co. opened up their pocketbooks back in March.

On Monday, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones had the opportunity to reassure fans who wanted to see Henry in a Dallas jersey. Instead, the 60-year-old executive decided to double down on his father's lie.

Cowboys Continue to Lie About Derrick Henry

After the elder Jones told ESPN that the Cowboys couldn't afford Henry's services, Stephen followed his father's lead.

"You got to pick and choose where you're going to emphasize and where you're going to put your cap resources," the younger Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. " know everybody wants to say that you could push something out, but at some point, as you push out you're going to have to then make a hard decision on somebody like Micah (Parsons)."

Stephen added that the Cowboys would have pounced on the opportunity if "we felt like the situation was there," which they didn't believe was the case. Well, except for the fact that all signs pointed to there being an opportunity to land Henry this offseason.

After all, Henry revealed to the NFL Network's Jane Slater after the Week 3 matchup that he wanted to play in Dallas since it's where he lives and trains during the summer. But, according to him, the Cowboys never came calling.

What's even more disappointing is that it isn't as if signing Henry would've broken the bank. The Ravens managed to land the five-time 1,000-yard rusher on a $16 million contract for two years and, according to Spotrac, only $9 million of that is fully guaranteed.

The optics are even worse when you remember that the Cowboys signed quarterback Trey Lance to a $5 million fully guaranteed deal. The former 2021 third-overall pick has yet to suit up for the Cowboys and has only attempted 420 passes since the beginning of the 2018 NCAA college football season.

Even though signing Henry would've been worth every penny, the Cowboys decided to reunite with Elliott on a one-year, $3 million contract — more money that could've been put toward the former. Unsurprisingly, Elliott looks like a shell of his former self with 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

But at least Dallas' other RBs are playing well, right? Wrong. Dowdle hasn't impressed much with 88 rushing yards on 23 carries while Vaughn has turned his seven attempts into a putrid 20 yards. There's also Dalvin Cook on the practice squad, however, the Cowboys seem keen on never letting him see the light of day.

Even if you combine their output, Henry has outperformed the Cowboys' RB trio in terms of rushing yards (281 vs. 170) and touchdowns (4 vs. 1) on his own. When the comparison is that stark, it just doesn't make sense for the Jones Family to continue lying to Dallas fans. Their gamble to run the clock back with Elliott blew up in their faces and it's time to admit it.

With free agency offering limited options, the Cowboys will likely have to stick with the status quo going forward. There's always a chance that the backfield will turn things around, but I wouldn't hold my breath unless Emmitt Smith shows up tomorrow looking 30 years younger.

Dallas' rushers will have the opportunity to reverse course with a visit to the New York Giants on Thursday. The Giants have been vulnerable against the run this season, surrendering the 10th-most rushing yards per game and the sixth-most yards per carry.

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