It is hard to place the faults of the Dallas Cowboys this season on anyone other than the team’s owner and general manager, Jerry Jones. Thanks to his peculiar decisions, the roster came into the year severely lacking on the defensive side of the football, something that has haunted them throughout the season.
Even as the offense has been electric, with Dak Prescott having a career year alongside the receiving duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the defense has led the team to regularly fall short. As a result, one analyst believes they should try to add an elite pass rusher near the trade deadline to improve their chances of making the playoffs.
Cowboys Could Find Micah Parsons’ Replacement
As things currently stand entering Week 9, the Dallas defense is among the worst in the league, ranking second-last on PFSN’s Defense Impact. It has virtually offset the offense’s brilliance, which is fourth in the league on PFSN’s Offense Impact.
As a result, the team stands at 3-4-1, with their postseason chances appearing slimmer by the day. They have remained competitive in almost every game this year, leading many to believe that a competent defense that isn’t near the bottom of the NFL could catapult them in the standings.
As a result, Jacob Infante of PFSN, in his five bold predictions for the trade deadline, had the Cowboys finding a replacement for the recently traded franchise icon, Micah Parsons, in the form of Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals.
The disgruntled superstar who led the league in sacks last season did not get a contract extension from the Bengals. Instead, they reworked his deal to give him $29 million for the 2025 season.
With other star edge rushers like Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, T.J. Watt, and Micah Parsons all getting blockbuster extensions, Hendrickson will be chasing the money, which could prompt the Bengals to trade him away.
“Trey Hendrickson would make a lot of sense for the Cowboys. He has four sacks through seven games for the Cincinnati Bengals this year, which would be a valuable addition to Dallas; only one player has two or more sacks in 2025.”
Ranked 42nd on PFSN’s EDGE Impact, he hasn’t had the same statistical start to the season that he did last year. But that could be a byproduct of a lackluster Bengals offense, allowing opposing teams to be more run-heavy against them.
“The four-time Pro Bowler would require a long-term extension, but at 30 years old, he wouldn’t cost nearly as much draft capital as what Dallas got for Parsons. With this trade, they could have their cake and eat it, too.”
Even though four-year extensions are the norm, veterans like Watt did acquiesce to a three-year deal. That is perhaps the route the Cowboys would like to go for when dealing with the 30-year-old Hendrickson.