Cowboys' Stephen Jones gives worst excuse imaginable for not signing Derrick Henry

The running back position is a sensitive topic right now for Dallas Cowboys fans. While signing Ezekiel Elliott was a solid move, it does little to move the needle on the field after the Cowboys' rushing attack underwhelmed beyond words last season.

Many fans believed signing Derrick Henry would solve all of Dallas' problems. That was before the front office went out and revamped the offensive line in the NFL Draft, but Henry's status as an elite back would have done a lot to rectify the team's rushing woes.

While spending significant resources on a running back seldom translates to late-season success, the 30-year-old Henry didn't command a back-breaking salary. He even had interest in joining the Cowboys given he has a home in the Dallas area and trains there in the offseason. Despite being a perfect match on paper, Henry never received a call.

So what gives? Appearing on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio this week, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones offered an explanation.

Stephen Jones explains why Cowboys didn't sign Derrick Henry

"Our situation is just, you know, and no one ever wants to say it, but it’s salary cap, and we just didn’t have the money to allocate to that position in terms of where we were from a cap standpoint, knowing what we’re looking at with Dak [Prescott] and certainly Micah [Parsons] and CeeDee Lamb. We just didn’t have those type of resources to allocate to that position or we probably would’ve already had it filled with Tony Pollard."

It always goes back to the salary cap with the Joneses. If the Cowboys were smart and got out in front of extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, this wouldn't be a problem. Dallas is damaging its future salary cap by waiting until the eleventh hour. That's why teams are urged to sign players to extensions a year ahead of time.

The rival Eagles are the gold standard in that regard. Just this offseason, they've extended wideouts DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, as well as offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata. Each of those deals checked in at or near the top of the market for their respective positions. And yet, the Joneses claim they have no money to spend because three big-time bills have come due.

Don't let Jones fool you: The extensions for Prescott, Lamb and Micah Parsons did not prevent the Cowboys from signing Henry. There are cap loopholes galore available that Dallas refuses to capitalize on. If they really wanted Henry, they could've had him.

We take no issue with the Cowboys devaluing the RB position. Henry was one of several free agents that would've improved the running game. Our problem is with Jones blaming the salary cap for problems he and Jerry Jones created.

More Cowboys coverage