By Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf and Alex Andreyev

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made his first appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday since expressing his frustration with the team’s flagship radio station last week over questions about Dallas’ lack of offseason moves. He said he was “surprised” that the discussion received so much public attention and discussed other topics affecting the team and the league, including the Cowboys not signing star running back Derrick Henry this offseason.

“I don’t think we’re playing very good football at all right now, and it goes beyond whether or not we have Derrick Henry. … I don’t know if he would have a career year in our situation,” he said.

Jones said Henry — who has rushed for 873 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season with the Baltimore Ravens — has been a strong addition to the Ravens’ offense, adding that the Cowboys “don’t run those types of offenses at all.” ”

“Derrick Henry didn’t fit, mainly because of managing the (salary) cap … in anticipation of the players we were going to sign weeks down the road, (and) in anticipation of the players we were going to sign going forward.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues @1053thefan for the first time since he became angry about their questions about Dallas’ lack of offseason action: “I’m surprised last week got the attention it did.”

Before being asked, Jones brought up the fact that the Cowboys had no interest in…

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 22, 2024

The Cowboys reached a four-year, $136 million extension with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in August and then extended quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year deal worth $240 million last month. All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons could also be in line for a blockbuster contract next season.

During his radio appearance Tuesday, Jones also weighed in on Troy Aikman’s recent criticism of the Cowboys’ wide receivers, saying Aikman “knows football” and is “credible.” Aikman suggested last week that the team’s wide receivers are making life more difficult for Prescott.

“He’s very professional,” Jones said of Aikman. “I think he is very honest. … I’m pretty confident that we have the ability to coach and we have some receivers that can take on the coaching and improve. And that is the most important thing: improving.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues @1053thefan on Troy Aikman’s criticism of Dallas’ WRs: “Troy knows football. He lives from it. … Troy is believable. And that should be the case. … He’s very professional. I think he’s very honest. … I’m pretty sure we have the ability to coach and we have some… https://t.co/2p055VDCIA

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 22, 2024

The Cowboys are 3-3 and coming off a bye after a Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions. They face the San Francisco 49ers (3-4) on Sunday.

Why the lack of Henry pursuit feels like a miss for Dallas

It’s hard to see Henry rushing for 125 yards per game and think he wouldn’t have significantly improved a Cowboys run game that averages 77 yards per game.

Standing outside the Cowboys locker room about 30 minutes after Henry rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant Ravens win over Dallas last month, Jones was quick to point out that the Cowboys couldn’t afford Henry. He signed a two-year, $16 million contract with Baltimore in March.

Jones has said this would have impacted their ability to re-sign Prescott and Lamb this past offseason and Parsons in the future. Even if you fully believe that, the Cowboys should have at least reached out to Henry to see if they could possibly have worked something out.

Henry, who has a home in the Dallas area, has said he was hoping to hear from the Cowboys. And now that he’s the frontrunner for NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Dallas has the league’s worst rushing attack, the Cowboys’ offseason decisions seem to be looking even worse. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer

Jones deflects blame

It was interesting that Jones chose to invoke Henry’s name without being asked. It’s likely the topic has come up considering Henry’s play on “Monday Night Football” and the Cowboys’ run-game struggles have been one of the overarching storylines this season.

In six games, the Cowboys averaged 4.1, 3.2, 3.2, 3.5, 3.5 and 3.1 yards per attempt, respectively. In contrast, Henry has averaged 3.5, 4.7, 6.0, 8.3, 6.1, 5.5 and then 11.3 yards per carry in games this season.

When Jones brings up Henry without being asked, there is clearly a level of awareness of what Henry is capable of. However, Jones would not take responsibility for the Cowboys’ decision to pass on Henry, who has a home in Dallas.

Instead, he shifted the blame to the salary cap situation, which was poorly managed by Jones and the front office based on when they decided to get the Prescott and Lamb deals done. Jones then deflected further by saying that Henry wouldn’t have the same success in Dallas because the Cowboys’ plan didn’t allow for it, putting the onus on the coaching staff. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer

Required reading

(Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)