Remarkable stat further illustrates why Cowboys fumbled on signing RB Derrick Henry

In a 35-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Henry scored an 87-yard rushing TD on Baltimore's first offensive play. He finished with 199 yards and one TD on 24 carries. Ochoa added that Dowdle (134 rushing yards) is the only Cowboy with at least 87 yards rushing this season. 

In March, Henry — who has a house in Dallas — told "The Pivot" podcast that he would've been interested in joining the Cowboys, but they never reached out. Why didn't they?

After Henry rushed for two touchdowns and 151 yards in a Week 3 win over the Cowboys, Dallas owner Jerry Jones told the media, "We couldn't afford" to sign him. 

This offseason, Dallas waited until the last minute to sign star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott to contract extensions, potentially preventing it from spending in free agency.

The Cowboys signed Lamb to a four-year, $136M extension in August. On Sept. 8, ahead of its season opener vs. the Cleveland Browns, it gave Prescott a four-year, $240M deal.   

Although Dallas prioritized re-signing Prescott and Lamb, CBS Sports contributor Joel Corry — a former sports agent — explained the Cowboys still could've made room for Henry. 

"The same deal Henry got done with the Ravens could've been done with a lower cap number," wrote Corry in a column after Week 3. "Henry's 2024 cap number [$5.105M] could've been as low as $2.768M by adding three dummy/void years to prorate Henry's $7.79M signing bonus over five years instead of two years."

Perhaps Dallas feared Henry, 30, would slow down this season. In recent years, teams have avoided paying veteran RBs because of the position's wear and tear.

Henry, however, is averaging 120 rushing yards per game, the second-highest figure in his career. 

Surely, the Cowboys will regret not signing the future Hall of Famer. He could've jump-started Dallas' inept rushing attack and bolstered its Super Bowl chances.