$50 million star considered priority for Dallas Cowboys in NFL free agency

The Dallas Cowboys need more help on the defensive side of the ball.

Dallas' defense was the biggest cause of the team missing the playoffs last season. The Cowboys need help at just about every level, including edge rusher.

And the Cowboys need to take a big swing at that position after the team has failed to replace all the production lost when Dallas traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.

Knowing that, CBS Sports' Jared Dubin believes Cincinnati Bengals star edge rusher and pending free agent Trey Hendrickson should be a priority for the Cowboys in free agency.

"Dallas needs pass rush help in the worst way and Hendrickson is the best available edge rusher on the market," Dubin said. "He's going to cost a lot on a likely short-term deal, but Jerry Jones' whole rationale for trading Micah Parsons was that the Cowboys could afford more players by not paying him. He should prove it here."

We love this idea for the Cowboys.

Hendrickson, who is projected to make $50 million over two years in a new deal, is a proven talent and cemented himself as an elite pass-rusher after leading the NFL in sacks from 2023-24 with 35.

He had a down season in 2025, but that was because of injury. He did, however, post four sacks in seven games and likely would have had another season of elite production if not slowed by injury.

Decline is no doubt a concern with the 31-year-old, but one bad season isn't enough for us to give up on Hendrickson and consider him on the downside of his career.

The Cowboys reportedly inquired with the Bengals about a Hendrickson trade before last year's trade deadline, so we know Dallas is likely to have interest.

The problem is the Bengals may not let Hendrickson hit the open market.

Hendrickson almost certainly wants out of Cincinnati after the team failed to reward him with a new contract in recent years, but the Bengals can further torture their best defender by slapping the franchise tag on him to see if they can do better than the compensatory pick they'd receive from his departure in free agency.

If that happens, it'll add another layer to Dallas' pursuit, but it should not stop the Cowboys from going after someone who would provide a massive and much-needed upgrade to the defense.

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