Troy Aikman loved the Derrick Henry show on “Monday Night Football” and wondered aloud if other teams previously linked to the free-agent-turned-Ravens running back — ahem, the Cowboys — were drooling, too.
Moments after Henry exploded on an 81-yard run in the third quarter of the Ravens’ eventual road win over Tampa Bay, Aikman lauded Baltimore’s new $16 million toy while appearing to take a shot at his former Cowboys team, which missed out on signing the four-time Pro Bowler this offseason.
“There’s gotta be a lot of teams out there that had opportunities to bring in Derrick Henry that are kind of kicking themselves for not doing it,” Aikman said, as covered by Awful Announcing, “but he has been an absolute perfect fit for this Ravens attack.”
Henry finished Monday’s game rushing for 169 yards as Baltimore improved to 5-2 with the 41-31 victory.
The ex-Titans star — who joined the Ravens on a two-year deal — has been having himself a year, rushing for 873 yards through seven games with eight touchdowns.
Henry had his first two-touchdown game of the season last month which happened to be against the Cowboys. He rushed for 151 yards in Jerry World in Baltimore’s Week 3 victory.
The quietness of the Cowboys’ offseason came back to haunt the club in a big way, with team owner Jerry Jones fielding questions after the Sept. 22 loss about Dallas’ decision not to pursue Henry.
“We couldn’t afford [Henry],” said Jones, who lost veteran running back Tony Pollard in free agency — among others — and staged a reunion with former first-round pick Ezekiel Elliott.
Undrafted running back Rico Dowdle has since taken command of the backfield.
As the Ravens continue to trend upward following a 0-2 start, the Cowboys are hopeful for a post-bye week spark as matchups against the 49ers, Falcons, Eagles and Texans loom.
Jones acknowledged Henry’s explosiveness Tuesday during his weekly radio spot on 105.3 The Fan, but didn’t hold back regarding the state of his own team.
“In my mind, we’re not playing very good football right now, and it’s beyond whether we have Derrick Henry or not. He’s having a career year. I don’t know if he’d be having a career year in our situation,” Jones said. “He’s a real good complement to the type of offense they run. We don’t run that type of offense at all.”
The Cowboys’ season surely isn’t lost at 3-3, but for a team that opened the year with lofty expectations, they’re now in desperate need of a win.
Last week, Aikman took a shot at the Cowboy’s receivers during an interview on 1310 The Ticket, saying they “run terrible routes” and that guys are “lazy coming off the line of scrimmage.”
Aikman, who spent all 12 seasons of his NFL career with the Cowboys and won three Super Bowls, will return to Dallas on Nov. 18, when the team hosts the Texans on “Monday Night Football.”
