Coming off his fourth Pro Bowl season with the Tennessee Titans, running back Derrick Henry headed into NFL free agency last offseason. The former Alabama All-American signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

A resident of Dallas, Henry didn’t draw the attention of the Cowboys – a sore spot for the team’s fans that only grew sorer as the season progressed.

“I don’t know if he’d be having a career year in our situation,” Dallas owner Jerry Jones said in October in response to the clamber. “We don’t run that type of offense at all. Derrick Henry didn’t fit managing the (salary) cap.”

The Ravens got 1,921 rushing yards – the 11th-highest single-season total in NFL history – as well as a franchise record 18 touchdowns from the league’s seventh-highest-paid running back in 17 regular-season games, plus 270 rushing yards and three touchdowns in two playoff contests.

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While Baltimore posted a 12-5 regular-season record, the Cowboys finished at 7-10 after three consecutive seasons of 12 victories annually.

During an appearance on the podcast of Micah Parsons during Super Bowl Week, Henry joked with Cowboys’ four-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher that “Jerry’s got my number blocked.”

But Parsons said having Henry wouldn’t have saved Dallas’ season.

“I’m afraid Derrick Henry wouldn’t even have helped us,” Parsons said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Mad Dog Sports Radio.” “Derrick Henry should be blessed because he played with Lamar (Jackson), and he almost runs for 2,000 yards. The hypotheticals sometimes can sound pretty good, but, man, we struggled so much that I don’t even know if Derrick could have helped us. It would have been another Tennessee Titan year for him, so I’m happy he had the year he had, and deservedly so, and I think being in that system with Lamar helped him hit another gear in his career, so I think everything happens for a reason and he’s right where he belongs.”

Dallas had a 1,000-yard rusher in 2024. After the Cowboys kept Rico Dowdle from leaving in free agency last offseason, the running back recorded 1,079 yards and two touchdowns on 235 carries and caught 39 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns.

Dowdle entered the season with 385 rushing yards in 36 career regular-season games and didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do in the first half of the 2024 season.

Dowdle did not exceed 12 rushing attempts in Dallas’ first 10 games. In the final seven games, he ran for 677 yards and two touchdowns on 142 carries, and the Cowboys won four times.

Henry’s season came to a disappointing end as Baltimore lost to the Buffalo Bills 27-25 in the second round of the AFC playoffs on Jan. 19.

“Had a lot of fun, but we ultimately came up short,” Henry said while attending the “NFL Honors” awards ceremony, “and that’s just what replays in my head. It’s a season to be celebrated. But when you look at the big picture, we just came up short, so that’ll always be playing in my head until next season, so that’s what I look forward to.”

Henry said he already is preparing for the 2025 campaign.

“Just working as hard as I can this offseason to get ready for next season to put a better season together so we can finish with what we want,” Henry said.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.