The initial free agency flurry is well behind us, but several NFL teams still have roster holes to plug up. After releasing Ezekiel Elliott, and with Tony Pollard coming off a broken fibula, the Dallas Cowboys are not done adding to their backfield. Recently, rumors have begun swirling that the Cowboys and the Tennessee Titans could link up on a Derrick Henry trade. How likely is it to occur, and would Henry be a good fit in Dallas?
Derrick Henry Trade Rumors Heat Up
The Titans are at a crossroads in terms of team direction. The remnants of the team that was the No. 1 seed in the AFC two years ago still exist, but they’re kind of on their last legs.
Ryan Tannehill is not Tennessee’s long-term answer at quarterback. Their wide receiver situation leaves much to be desired, and the engine of their offense — the King himself — is nearing the end.
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If the Titans are taking one more run at this thing with their current core, then Henry isn’t going anywhere. But if they do decide to blow it up, it makes all the sense in the world for Tennessee to move Henry while he still has value.
On March 30, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggested a trade to the Cowboys could make sense for both sides. He added that several veteran running backs, including Henry and Dalvin Cook, could wind up released sometime after the NFL Draft if their teams can’t work out a trade. In either scenario, Henry could find his way to Dallas.
How Would Derrick Henry Fit in the Cowboys’ Offense?
After drafting Elliott back in 2016, the Cowboys have used him mostly as a three-down back. That only began to change two years ago with the rise of Pollard. Since then, Elliott has been the power back, with Pollard as the satellite/pass-catching RB.
With Elliott now gone, Dallas has a void in that power role — a void Henry could fill better than just about anyone.
Throughout his career, Henry has never been a pass catcher; he’s never been a three-down back. He’s not about to become a prolific receiver at age 29, but in Dallas, he’d be an ideal thunder to Pollard’s lightning.
The Cowboys don’t believe Pollard can handle an every-down role. True or not, they are going to add someone to this backfield. According to Barnwell, “Dallas could add a rookie in April’s draft, but Pollard’s uncertain status for Week 1 leads me to believe the team would probably prefer to have a more experienced back on the roster.”
I concur. The Cowboys are in their “win-now” window. I like Malik Davis, but I can’t envision a scenario where Dallas goes into the season with him as their RB2. Any one of Leonard Fournette, Kareem Hunt, Latavius Murray, etc., would make sense.
But as they say, everything is bigger in Texas. And we know Jerry Jones likes to go big. Henry is as big as it gets.
How Likely Is a Derrick Henry Trade or Release To Occur?
Right now, the Henry rumors are just that — rumors, speculation. Nothing is concrete yet.
On the Cowboys’ side of things, they would need to get a little creative to fit Henry in under the salary cap, who comes with a $16.3 million cap hit. That’s about what Dallas has available right now, but they’ll still need to sign their rookies. Unless Henry is willing to restructure or negotiate a pay cut (unlikely), it may be a challenge to fit him in under the cap.
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There’s also the matter of new Titans general manager Ran Carthon pretty emphatically shutting down the notion of Henry going anywhere. According to ESPN’s Turron Davenport, at the annual league meeting, Carthon said, “There’s nothing new to report. There was an erroneous report that came out. I’ve spoken to Todd (France), Derrick’s representative, and we’re in a good place. So, there’s nothing new to report from there.
“I know Derrick trains like crazy in the location where he trains — I know the location, I don’t want to put it out there — but Derrick is going to be Derrick. He’s going to take his time away and do what he has to do to make sure that he’s ready to go. So, feel we’re in a good place.”
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time team representatives shut down the idea of a player getting traded, only for the trade to end up happening anyway. Nevertheless, while it is very likely the Cowboys add a veteran RB, it does not appear as if that guy will be Henry.