Trey Hendrickson’s 2025 season is officially over.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ All-Pro edge rusher underwent core muscle surgery on Tuesday, and while the procedure is expected to sideline him for the rest of the year, the recovery timeline is relatively short-about six weeks, according to reports. That means Hendrickson should be fully healthy well before NFL free agency opens in 2026.
And that’s where things get interesting.
Hendrickson is set to hit the open market next offseason, and given his resume, he won’t be short on suitors. One team that should already have him circled in red? The Dallas Cowboys.
Let’s be honest-Dallas needs help on the edge. The Cowboys’ pass rush, once a feared unit, has taken a noticeable step back this season.
According to Next Gen Stats, they rank 20th in sack percentage and just 18th in total sacks. For a team with playoff aspirations-and an owner in Jerry Jones who’s never been shy about making bold moves-that’s not going to cut it.
Jones already made waves at the trade deadline, acquiring Quinnen Williams to bolster the interior alongside Kenny Clark. But the lack of consistent pressure off the edge remains a glaring issue. That’s where Hendrickson fits in.
When healthy, Hendrickson is one of the most disruptive edge rushers in the game. He’s a four-time Pro Bowler, earning selections every year from 2021 through 2024, and he was named a First-Team All-Pro last season after leading the league in sacks. His motor, technique, and ability to win off the snap make him a nightmare for opposing tackles-and exactly the kind of player Dallas needs to round out its defensive front.
Of course, there’s the matter of his health and age. Hendrickson will be 31 by the time free agency rolls around, and while the core muscle injury isn’t expected to linger, teams will be watching closely to see how he bounces back. Still, edge rushers with his pedigree don’t come around often, and if Dallas wants to upgrade its defense in a meaningful way, Hendrickson should be near the top of their list.
There’s also the possibility that the Cowboys double down at the position-adding a veteran like Hendrickson while also targeting a pass rusher early in the 2026 NFL Draft. That kind of one-two punch could dramatically reshape a defense that’s currently allowing the fourth-most yards per game.
But that’s a conversation for the offseason.
Right now, the Cowboys are still in the thick of the NFC East race. They trail the Philadelphia Eagles by two games with four weeks left in the regular season, and they’ll look to keep pace when they host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football in Week 15.
For Dallas, the path forward is clear: win now, but keep an eye on the future. And if that future includes Trey Hendrickson in a star on his helmet, their pass rush might just be back in business.