Ravens should thank Cowboys for passing on Derrick Henry after latest comments

The Baltimore Ravens have seen many key contributors from last season fade away, but the signing of Derrick Henry to a two-year contract both bolstered their running back room and signaled to the rest of the league they aren't going anywhere any time soon.

As is the case whenever a big-name skill position player hits the open market, Baltimore had to be concerned about the Dallas Cowboys swooping in to snag Henry away. With starting running back Tony Pollard joining Henry's old Tennessee Titans, they had an opening on a team expecting to make the playoffs.

Henry sounds like he would have been very interested in joining the Cowboys, as he lives in Dallas and would join a contender. However, after talking with Ravens great Ray Lewis and realizing the opportunity he had in Baltimore, Henry had his mind set on joining up with Lamar Jackson.

"I knew once free agency started that I wanted to work something out [with the Ravens] if we could," Henry said on The Pivot podcast. "Even though I'm living in Dallas and Dallas being a perfect situation, as well, because we lived there, we ain't got to move...I was like, man, if I'm not in Tennessee or I don't get to go to Dallas, I'd love to be a Raven."

Derrick Henry joined the Baltimore Ravens after Cowboys didn't show interest

The Cowboys seem prepared to go cheap at the running back spot after their ill-fated Ezekiel Elliott contract and Pollard franchise tag. That decision to pinch pennies could come back to bite them if Henry remains just as effective in Baltimore as he was in Tennessee.

While Henry is 30 years old and led the league in carries in four of the last five years, his ability to reel off big plays while still remaining an effective power runner between the tackles will make him a very prized player for a Ravens team that will run the ball as much as anyone in the game.

With Gus Edwards becoming one of the league's most efficient runners due to the constant threat of Jackson busting a big one with his legs, Henry will face much lighter boxes than he did during his final years in Tennessee when Ryan Tannehill was starting to wane.

While Henry in Dallas could have been exactly what the Cowboys needed, their passive nature in comparison to a Ravens team going all-in ended up with Henry in purple and black for the 2024 season.