There’s another elite edge rusher on the market Dallas Cowboys fans can dream about, as the Cincinnati Bengals are letting Trey Hendrickson hit the market. Would he be interested in Dallas and can the Cowboys afford him?
Someone they probably can afford is a Philadelphia Eagles linebacker, new Dallas defensive coordinator Christian Parker is quite familiar with. And two names who could help the Cowboys at cornerback are getting linked with Dallas.
Here is the day in Dallas.
Trey Hendrickson
At this point, the biggest name in free agency, in fact named No. 1 by ESPN in a list of the top 100, is Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. That became official when Tuesday’s deadline for putting a franchise tag on players came and went, so Hendrickson is now on the market.
Obviously, he would be a dream pickup for the Dallas Cowboys, so the issue is whether they can afford him. This comes a year after Dallas decided it couldn’t afford Micah Parsons, but Jerry Jones has expressed a willingness to spend more on free agents this year.
Speculation pairing Hendrickson with the Cowboys at this point has pretty much been limited to the USA Today’s Dallas Cowboys wire.
The USA Today’s Tyler Dragon put the Washington Commanders as the best fit for Hendrickson, while John Breech of CBS Sports lists the Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans.
Teams are allowed to begin negotiations with potential free agents on March 9, two days before the official start of the league season on March 11.
The 31-year-old Hendrickson is a four-time Pro Bowler, with the last of those coming in 2024 when he was First-Team All-Pro. He had 17.5 sacks in both ‘23 and ‘24 but was limited to seven games last year because of injury.
Nakobe Dean Cowboys
Perhaps a more realistic name for Dallas in free agency is Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean, who is on the edge of top 25 lists of looming free agents. The 25-year-old has played out his rookie contract.
ESNP’s Jeremy Fowler, in an article about buzz following the NFL Combine, wrote: The Cowboys are crafting a detailed free agency plan to bolster their defense. The new scheme under coordinator Christian Parker needs replenishment. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is someone to watch as a green-dot player in the middle of the defense.”
The 25-year-old Dean missed the first half of last season after suffering an injury in the playoffs during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run following the 2024 season. He ended up with 55 tackles and two forced fumbles in 10 games.
He played, of course, on a team with Dallas defensive coordinator Christian Parker in Philadelphia, though Parker coached defensive backs, not linebackers.
Riq Woolen
The USA Today’s Tyler Dragon’s list of top 25 free agents and their best fits has one mention of the Cowboys. That’s picking up cornerback Riq Woolen, who played for the Seattle Seahawks last year.
Dragon writes: “Joining the Cowboys would be a homecoming of sorts for Woolen. The cornerback is from nearby Fort Worth. Woolen would provide much-needed help for Dallas in the secondary. The Cowboys had the worst pass defense in the NFL last season. Woolen’s registered 12 interceptions and has allowed 54% completion percentage when targeted through four seasons.”
Kyler Murray
The Arizona Cardinals are parting ways with 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick, quarterback Kyler Murray, who will now hit the market. He will be quite attractive, since he can sign for a league-minimum $1.3 million for one year. That would leave the Cardinals to pick up the remaining $36.7 he’s owed on his contract, which expires after next year.
The Dallas Cowboys won’t be in that chase, as Murray will be looking to start and Dallas isn’t even testing the waters for backups. Early rumors link Murray with the New York Jets. A USA Today’s article by Nick Brinkerhoff also mentioned the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.
Mansoor Delane
This time a week ago a consensus emerged in mock drafts that LSU Mansoor Delane was headed to the Cowboys at No. 12 as the first cornerback taken. A good performance at the NFL Combine now has many mocks pegging Delane at No. 10 or 11, so before Dallas drafts.
Exceptions that still have him falling to Dallas include the Sporting News and the Chicago Sun Times, which remarkably and uniquely has him falling to 20th. Suffice it to say that would be the easiest pick the Cowboys ever made if that happens.
The Sun Times’ Patrick Finley writes: “He’s a potential top-10 pick and great value. The pick is one of the Cowboys they got for Parsons.” Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer writes: “The Cowboys need a smooth cover man with nice size to help clean up the cornerback across from DaRon Bland with Trevon Diggs gone. Delane, after a sturdy Combine, would be a good physical fit in the new defense of former Eagles assistant Christian Parker.”
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: A big-time rusher is hitting free agency. Does Dallas have a chance?
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
