‘Bottom Line’: Jerry Jones Makes Admission After Cowboys’ Loss

The Cowboys entered the NFL offseason with a void in the backfield, and on Sunday, they were torched by the man who once was viewed as a candidate to fill it.

Derrick Henry galloped for 151 yards — more than his first two games with the Ravens combined — and scored two touchdowns in Baltimore’s 28-25 win in Dallas. To put Henry’s big day in more perspective, he ran for nearly 100 (!) yards more than the Cowboys’ entire team at AT&T Stadium.

Jerry Jones had no choice but to salute “King Henry” after the Week 3 game, but in doing so, Dallas’ longtime owner bluntly explained why America’s Team didn’t sign the four-time Pro Bowl selection over the offseason.

“Hats off to him,” Jones told reporters, per ESPN. “He had a great day today. Have all the respect in the world for him. And so that’s what happens when you don’t sign good ones: They can come back and have a great game against you. But bottom line is we couldn’t afford Derrick Henry.”

Jones added: “Why can’t you buy a mansion when you live in a different kind of house? We couldn’t afford him. We can’t make that all fit. That’s as simple as that.”

It doesn’t take a salary cap guru to understand why Jones and company were strapped for cash. Extensions for CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott were offseason priorities for the Cowboys, who shelled out a combined $331 million in guaranteed money to those franchise cornerstones in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season. A monster payday also is probably on the horizon for superstar linebacker Micah Parsons.

All of that said, Dallas has other pressing concerns outside of a weak rushing attack. And if all of those woes end up making for an underwhelming season, the franchise could be in store for major changes.