Derrick Henry Reveals Baltimore Ravens Were Always His 'No. 1 Choice' in Free Agency

Despite his mention of the Dallas Cowboys never reaching out to him, the Baltimore Ravens was the top choice in free agency for Derrick Henry.

When Derrick Henry revealed that the Dallas Cowboys had never even done as much as enquire about potentially signing him in free agency, it may have made some think that they were his first choice. 

However, as he revealed in a recent interview on the “Jim Rome Show,” the star running back said that the Baltimore Ravens were always his first choice. 

"For the record, Baltimore was always my No. 1 option," Henry said. "That's always where I wanted to go. And like I said, I know the trade talks it was almost going to happen, but I didn't know once free agency started if they still felt the same until I talked to my agent to see what was really going on.

“And I know, like you said, the Cowboys lost (Tony) Pollard, … I live here [Dallas] in the offseason, I've been training here, living here for a while, so I just thought it made sense, and you know, I thought there'd be talks. But they never really reached out.”

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The revelation that we had never discussed the potential of staying in Dallas long-term may have done more harm to the franchise than it did Henry, as Cowboys’ fans have not been shy to voice their displeasure with their team’s offseason so far. 

However, the Cowboys' decision not to pursue Henry wasn’t likely an indictment on him. Rather, it is just a further indication of the Cowboys’ unwillingness to spend money this offseason. 

While the Cowboys never showed interest, Henry ended up signing a two-year, $16 million contract with the Ravens just months after he was continually being linked to them before last season’s trade deadline. 

The 30-year-old former first-round pick will hope to replace Gus Edwards as the featured back in the Ravens offense after he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency.

However, even with the signing of Henry, who is fresh off his fifth 1,000-yard rushing season, the Ravens are likely to use him as part of a backfield duo with now second-year running back Keaton Mitchell.