Yet another week has gone by, and yet another example of why the #FireJerryTheGM campaign on social media is a good thing for #CowboysNation.
Closer to the beginning of the season, Dallas Cowboys’ Owner/GM Jerry Jones was asked about the state of the running back position, and why the Cowboys didn’t do more to address it. Specifically, he was asked why he never reached out to free agent RB Derrick Henry.
Henry, a Dallas native, has a home in the Arlington area. He trains there during the offseason. He has family in the area, and even volunteers his time for various charities in the Dallas Metroplex when he has the time.
It seemed like the perfect fit, but Jerry had a questionable answer to the question, and his answer seems more and more tone deaf as the season goes on.
I must tell you, this is a little bit of a first for me, because I’ve never seen such made of our position and what we’re doing at the position, running back this year. Not having done this or that at running back. Both of these guys (Derrick Henry and Ezekiel Elliott) came out at the same time. We’ve got a pretty good contemporary of our competition this week in Zeke Elliott. I’m pleased with what Zeke is doing. -Cowboys Owner/GM Jerry Jones
In addition to liking Elliott more than Henry from a football standpoint, Jones also repeatedly mentioned that the Cowboys couldn’t afford him because of the contracts in the works for QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb.
That didn’t matter either, in case you were wondering. If the Cowboys hadn’t waited so long to sign their two best players to the contracts they deserve, there would have been plenty of cap space to sign Henry. The $20 million the Cowboys currently have in salary cap space speaks to that.
It’s a decision that looks worse with each passing week, and I hope it haunts him weekly, as well. Let’s compare the season Derrick Henry is having with the “success” Ezekiel Elliott has had in the Cowboys’ offense.
Lack of Opportunities
One of the many areas that Henry has been better at this season is the sheer opportunity to carry the football. Jerry Jones was adamant that Zeke and Henry were in the same draft class, so they should be able to do the same things.
The touches say otherwise. Ezekiel Elliott has touched the ball 44 times for 151 yards and one measly touchdown. His 3.43 yards per touch is the lowest of his career to date, and his 3.0 yards per carry is the next lowest number on a downward trajectory.
If Elliott was as explosive and effective as he once was, he would definitely have more than 36 rushes for the year. Instead, Jerry Jones once again tried (and failed) to convince us that his latest poor decision was best for the franchise.
By comparison, Henry has touched the ball 141 times for 935 yards and 10 total touchdowns. Against the Cowboys alone, he rushed for 151 yards and two scores, including a 23 yard catch and run on a screen pass.
Henry and Zeke were on the field together in week 3, and the eye test wasn’t even close.
Physical Difference
The lack of touches for Elliott probably has a lot to do with the fact that he just isn’t the same player he used to be. If not for the Cowboys calling him back to Dallas, I think Zeke would be no more than a practice squad player with any other team.
His skills have been declining for several years now. It’s a product of his usage during his first stint with the Cowboys. Dallas leaned heavily on Zeke’s legs early in his career, and he currently has 2,103 rushes to his name.
By comparison, Derrick Henry has passed him with 2,164 career rushes, but he arrived at those numbers via a different route. Elliott was force-fed the ball in his first three seasons, while Henry split the backfield in Tennessee during his first two seasons.
Henry was allowed to ease into his NFL backfield while Elliott was thrust into his with no other choice but to be the workhorse.
At the end of the day, the decision by Jerry Jones to not even give Henry a phone call during the offseason looks worse each week that Henry runs effortlessly through opposing defenses. He did it again last night in prime time, running through the Buccaneers’ defense for 169 yards on a whopping 11.3 yards per rush.
Jerry has another call on 105.3 The Fan radio this morning, and I hope Shan and RJ ask him once again how he feels about not calling Derrick Henry this offseason. His response will be much anticipated.