The Dallas Cowboys have done a very good job of upgrading their roster this offseason despite not having a ton of cap space to work with. They weren’t able to keep all of their contributors, as they did lose tight end Dalton Schultz and wide receiver Noah Brown in addition to releasing running back Ezekiel Elliott. But, Jerry Jones did a solid job of addressing areas of need.
Needing another starting cornerback opposite of All-Pro Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys acquired Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts. The former Defensive Player of the Year will be a huge boost for Dan Quinn’s secondary.
On offense, adding a pass catcher was near the top of their to-do list before their depth took a hit. To address that, the Cowboys acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans. He will be a nice upgrade as the No. 2 option behind CeeDee Lamb as someone with No. 1 receiver talent.
Dallas will once again look to contend in the NFC this season. The team hasn’t advanced beyond the Divisional Round since their Super Bowl victory in the 1995 season but has won double-digit games in consecutive seasons for the first time since that dynasty.
To get over that hump, former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant believes there is one more move for the team to make. On his Twitter account, he advocated for the team to make a push to acquire Derrick Henry from the Tennessee Titans.
“Cowboys get Derrick Henry with the supporting cast they have… Prescott Pollard Lamb Cooks Gallup and sprinkle in Turpin/Vaughn. Derrick Henry will bring the perfect balanced to execute all of the fire power the cowboys have… that’s a tough offense with a tough defense… Explosive Strength Balance and Speed Reminder.. Derrick Henry carried the load in Tennessee his whole entire career.. he don’t have to do that in Dallas… I like the idea of this Yr cowboy team,” Bryant wrote.
Tony Pollard had a breakout campaign in 2022, which led to the Cowboys placing the franchise tag on him. His production likely led to Dallas being comfortable enough to release Elliott, as well. But, the depth behind him is certainly concerning.
The other running backs currently on the roster are Malik Davis, Ronald Jones and rookie sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn. It is hard to envision any of those players being ones that Mike McCarthy is confident in to replace the 231 carries and 23 targets that Elliott received last season.
That is a role that Henry could slide into seamlessly. He remains a productive early-down back and would make for a dynamic one-two punch with Pollard out of the backfield.
