From the moment the Dallas Cowboys hired Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator, there's one linebacker that's been in the minds of fans and media alike as a perfect fit to arrive in the offseason: Eric Kendricks.
The former Minnesota Vikings LB who played for Zimmer for so many years (2015-2021), however, was under contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. On Tuesday, that changed as he was cut by L.A.
That means he's open for business and in my opinion, he should immediately be targeted by the Cowboys.
Sure, Kendricks is 32 years old and not at his prime. However, he can still play. He had a 74% snap count for the 2023 season, playing in 15 games and starting 14. For the year, he had 117 tackles, seven for loss and yes, he can still get to the quarterback when rushing the passer, having seven QB hits for the year (second most in his career).
But mostly, Kendricks is somebody that can step in and fulfill the Cowboys' biggest need: Speeding up the learning curve behind Zimmer's defense.
For so many years, Kendricks brougth Zimmer's schemes to life: The double A-gap blitzes wouldn't have become so popular if it wasn't for him. In large part that's because Zimmer needs his guys to be versatile and do a little bit of everything. Kendricks can immediately do that while also helping teach players the scheme on the field.
Zimmer mentioned getting the team on the same page in terms of schematic language on his introductory press conference and there's no question having somebody like Kendricks in the locker room would provide serious value to a team that's (kind of) in a win-now mode.
He's a smart LB who sees the field really well and now has nine years of NFL experience under his belt. This is a no brainer addition Dallas has to pull the trigger on and while it seems they won't be spending a lot of money in free agency, I wouldn't be surprised if Kendricks is within their range with him being 32 years old.
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