Hopes of Derrick Henry going to Cowboys sneakily take a hit during NFL Scouting Combine
As Derrick Henry gears up to hit NFL free agency having spent the first eight years of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, the Dallas Cowboys keep coming up as a team fit for the All-Pro running back. It's not hard to understand why: The Cowboys need a running back badly and Tony Pollard's […]
As Derrick Henry gears up to hit NFL free agency having spent the first eight years of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, the Dallas Cowboys keep coming up as a team fit for the All-Pro running back.
It's not hard to understand why: The Cowboys need a running back badly and Tony Pollard's chances to return are blurry. Additionally, they miss some physicality on their offense. Not to mention, Henry heads to Dallas, Texas every offseason.
However, things aren't that simple and a recent report out of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis sneakily struck a major blow to hopes that Henry could go to the Cowboys.
Centered around the critical story of Dak Prescott's pending extension, Dallas Morning News reported that the Cowboys aren't scheduled to meet with agent Todd France at the Combine, who also represents Henry in contract negotiations:
The latter would require agreement from Prescott’s agent, Todd France. Cowboys are not scheduled to meet with France at the combine or, for that matter, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and hybrid defensive end Micah Parsons’ representatives. All three players are eligible for blockbuster extensions.
Sure, while NFL rules would actually prohibit the Cowboys from discussing Henry with France as the tampering period doesn't start until March 11th, it's no secret teams respect such rule as much as baseball cared about steroids in the 1990s. These conversations happen all the time when there's interest, as evidenced by deals being reported on minutes after tampering is allowed. This especially happens in an environment such as the NFL Scouting Combine, where coaches, agents, and executives all gather in Indy.
Now granted, per the report, the Cowboys believe "those in-person meetings unnecessary to advance contract-related talks." Such a notion seems like the front office is basically playing hardball on the Prescott contract negotiations but it also suggests a deal with Henry could still happen.
However, it's also clearly not a strong start to buy into the storyline that the Cowboys will be paying top dollar for a 30-year-old running back, no matter how good Henry is.
Derrick Henry 2024 contract projection
A to Z Sports projects Henry to sign for $10M per year:
Henry will be entering his age 30 season which is where most running backs fall off – if they haven’t already. This, combined with the question still surrounding the true value of running backs in a league that is increasingly pass-first, are big factors moving forward.
There is still reason for hope that King Henry can continue to perform well enough as a feature back, though. His missed tackle forced rate is still hovering around 20% and he still ranks in the top-half of the league in most second-level measures of running back performance. A team could make a small-length bet on getting the last out of his amazing career.
Franchise Tag Likelihood: Low
2 yrs $20M, $10.0M APY, $12M fully GTD
Year One Cap Hit: $5 million
