The Dallas Cowboys raised the floor of their defensive line by trading for Rashan Gary, who's accumulated 161 pressures over the last three seasons, but the job's not finished.
That Dallas was a player for Maxx Crosby right until the end proves they view edge rusher as a serious need, and Gary, while a solid player, is nowhere near Crosby's level. With that, Bengals star free agent Trey Hendrickson has been circled as a possible target.
Rumors on social media hinted at the Cowboys' interest in Hendrickson, but NFL Network's Jane Slater has provided some clarity to the discourse.
"I think the thing with Trey Hendrickson that I'm being told is still some concerns about the injury. Remember, he had the core muscle. He had the surgery, I believe it was in December. He's supposed to be available for offseason workouts.
But this is a team that seems like they're not into waiting around. They drafted players in the past that they've had to wait on injuries. I get the sense that they want to get this defense going ...," Slater said.
It doesn't sound like the Dallas Cowboys will pursue Trey Hendrickson
While disappointing, it's hard to argue with that logic. Signing Hendrickson comes with a lot of inherent risk, and the edge rusher market absolutely exploded on Monday.
Like the rest of the NFL, the Cowboys got caught with their pants down when Jaelan Phillips got $30 million a year from the Carolina Panthers. Shortly thereafter, the Washington Commanders gave Odafe Oweh a four-year, $100 million deal ($25 million per year) with $68 million guaranteed.
While Phillips and Oweh expected to get upwards of $20 million per year, nobody expected the market to explode as it did. Hendrickson is older than Phillips and Oweh, but he's significantly more proven.
Even if you combine Oweh and Phillips' career stats, they don't have as many sacks as Hendrickson (58.5 to 81) despite playing a combined 10 seasons to Hendrickson's nine.
While Hendrickson had an injury-plagued 2025, he's one year removed from being a first-team All-Pro and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He is easily worth $30 million per year if Phillips is, and he'd be justified to ask for more.
Hendrickson is finally a free agent after several frustrating seasons in Cincinnati. He and his camp will milk the market for all it’s worth to secure the best possible offer. Given the injury concerns, the Cowboys likely aren’t comfortable competing for him.
With a lot of the best edge rushers off the board, Dallas may have to dabble in the second and third tiers of free agency or look to the NFL Draft next month.