Trey Hendrickson is predicted to sign with the Dallas Cowboys in free agency.
Getty
Trey Hendrickson is predicted to sign with the Dallas Cowboys in free agency.
The Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones have vowed to be more aggressive than ever when it comes to spending in NFL free agency this offseason, and while that is encouraging, more than one critic has pointed out that it is a low bar. Jones does not like signing outside free agents as a means to building a roster and, indeed, it is not a financially efficient way to add players.
But the gauntlet has been thrown down, and it will soon be time for Dallas to pick it up. The defense was rated dead last in the NFL in 2025, and besides the defensive front, there were holes all over the field. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker is in charge of cleaning up the mess, but he can only do so much–this team needs to add personnel if it is serious about improving.
And while the Cowboys’ pass rush was not terrible in 2025, adding a star who can bring down quarterbacks does seem to be a priority in Dallas. Former GM Mike Tannenbaum, who now is a talking head on ESPN, sees the Cowboys not only acquiring a new one but getting the best overall player on the market: Trey Hendrickson.
‘Cowboys Will Sign Trey Hendrickson’
It’s not the first time the Cowboys have been linked to Hendrickson, of course. At the NFL trade deadline, when the team brought in defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, there were also rumblings that they might land Hendrickson (they got Bengals teammate Logan Wilson instead). Now, Hendrickson is in free agency, and the Cowboys are in position to land him.
Writes Tannenbaum at ESPN.com Wednesday morning, in making a “bold” prediction: “The Cowboys will sign Trey Hendrickson. He would help to buttress their pass rush, which fell over the cliff after the Micah Parsons trade. Hendrickson was injured for much of last season, but when healthy, he is still one of the best pass rushers in the league.”
Trey Hendrickson Could Warrant $51 Million From Cowboys
Indeed, Hendrickson is coming off surgery on a core/hip/pelvic injury, one that limited him to 4.0 sacks in seven games. That is a concern for the Cowboys or anyone going after Hendrickson, who will turn 32 during next season. Still, he had put together back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons (he led the league in 2024) when he was a holdout for much of last offseason as part of a contract dispute with Cincinnati.
But, for the Cowboys, the injury also figures to knock down the price on Hendrickson, and that’s significant for a team that is operating with tight margins. At Spotrac, Hendrickson is predicted to net a two-year, $51 million contract, one that likely would need some second-year protections for the signing team.
Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
GettyDallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones
No. 6 Among Edge Defenders
The market price the Cowboys would pay for Hendrickson is a bit friendlier at Pro Football Focus, with a one-year, $21 million contract projected and just $17 million guaranteed. That would be well within the wheelhouse of the Cowboys, who have vowed to free up space by pushing some current obligations into the future.
PFF ranked Hendrickson as the top free-agent on the market, and wrote of him, “Hendrickson battled injuries throughout the 2025 season but still ranked sixth among all edge defenders in PFF pass-rush grade (90.0). He has now posted five consecutive seasons with a PFF pass-rush grade above 85.0 and generated 23 total pressures on 177 pass-rush snaps this year.”