The first week of NFL free agency has gotten off to a hot start. Big names have been coming off of the board, such as David Montgomery and Trent McDuffie, but of the most notable so far, Raiders star DE Maxx Crosby has been taking up a lot of the headlines after his shocking trade to the Baltimore Ravens.
Crosby, who is a Texas native, expressed a high interest in returning home to play for Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. According to various prediction markets, the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears were the frontrunners to land the 3x All-Pro.
However, neither team were able to get the deal done. The Cowboys offered Las Vegas their #12 overall pick in this year's draft, as well as their second-round pick in 2027. Understandably, the Raiders took the Ravens offer instead, which included two first-round picks.
On the surface, this failed acquisition may feel like a "what could've been" moment for Cowboys fans, but what Dallas was able to retain may help them land a different defensive superstar.
Trey Hendrickson, four-time Pro Bowler for the Cincinnati Bengals, is almost certainly being dealt somewhere this offseason. After not coming to a contract agreement last offseason, Hendrickson signed a one-year extension with the Bengals, worth $16 million.
Hendrickson is looking to secure a big pay-day ahead of the 2027 season, a pay-day that the Bengals can't match after securing their big three of Jamar Chase, Joe Burrow, and Tee Higgins last offseason.
This only leaves a couple of teams with enough cap space to acquire the 31 year old, and the Dallas Cowboys are certainly one of those teams. After letting go of Micah Parsons and allowing him to pursue a contract elsewhere, the Cowboys received a haul in return. With two first round picks this year, and all of their draft capital for 2027 still secured, Dallas should be shifting their focus towards acquiring the All-Pro edge.
The price tag for Hendrickson won't be nearly as costly as Maxx Crosby's was, as he signed a 3-year, $106 million extension last March. Hendrickson, on the other hand, grades out to under $30 million a year, a far more favorable option for the Cowboys.
More times than not, the most important decisions made in the offseason come from the ones that never came into fruition. Perhaps this is for the better for the Cowboys, as this retained cap will allow them to go out and pursue multiple defensive pieces instead of just a singular asset.
Additionally, the Cowboys front office certainly knows what they need to build this offseason. They realized that one player on the defense can't carry the team to the holy land, which is the biggest reason as to why they let Micah Parsons walk. A championship defense is built in every phase, so Dallas needs to both capitalize on this retained cap and hit on some key defensive players in this upcoming draft.