Cowboys Sign Top Free Agent All-Pro Linebacker

FRISCO— The Dallas Cowboys have signed an All-Pro defender and resigned a homegrown cornerback.

The Dallas Cowboys have dipped their toes back into the free agency pool and hooked All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks to bolster their depleted linebacking corp. Kendricks has played at a high level in the NFL for both the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers since 2015.

Drafted in the second round, Kendricks was a first-team All-American, a second-team All-Pac 12, a Lott Trophy and Butkus Award winner while at UCLA. He was drafted 45th overall in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Vikings who’s head coach at the time is current Cowboy’s defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer.

Since, Kendricks was a first-team All-Pro player, a pro bowler in 2019, and was on the PFWA All-Rookie team in 2015. Over his NFL career, he has over 1,000 tackles, 18.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and three defensive touchdowns.

Kendricks is a welcome addition to the Cowboys roster. Linebacker has been an issue for some time in Dallas as Leighton Vander Esch has been injury prone and All-World defender Micah Parsons is more of an edge defender at this point.

The Cowboys have a talented linebacker room but almost all of their current backers have injury concerns. Second-year player DeMarvion Overshown tore his ACL during the preseason after showing a lot of promise and Damone Clark had back surgery while at LSU. Dallas even moved Markquese Bell from safety to linebacker to help.

At first, Kendricks was going to sign with the San Francisco 49ers but at the eleventh hour, chose to play for Dallas.

The Cowboys were already involved in free agency after resigning long snapper Trent Sieg on March 12, 2024, and they resigned Jourdan Lewis to a one-year deal.