The Dallas Cowboys are sitting on a 2-2-1 record after five weeks, and while that might not be as impressive, the team has shown some steady signs of improvement under Brian Schottenheimer's tutelage.
Their offense is firing on all cylinders, even with CeeDee Lamb and several offensive linemen out. Their defense, however, is still a work in progress. Fortunately, team owner/GM Jerry Jones might be ready to pull some strings and add more firepower to the team.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan and spoke about the potential of improving the team this year. Jones said, "I think that old sign ‘Open for business’ is there. We are continuing looking as we go on into this season... Yes, we’re in position to improve our team if we get an opportunity to," reported by The Athletic's Jon Machota.
The Cowboys Should go After Trey Hendrickson
Despite logging the third-highest pressure rate in the league (27.7 percent) and leading the league in QB hurries (14), the Cowboys have only logged ten sacks in five games. That's tied for the third-fewest in the league.
Enter Trey Hendrickson. The superstar pass-rusher has logged 17.5 sacks in consecutive seasons, and he's up to 4.0 this season. He also has one pass defended, one forced fumble, 13 total tackles (ten solo), three tackles for loss, and three QB hits. He has 21 pressures and has logged an 86.5 PFF grade.
The Bengals fell to 2-3, and their chances of making the playoffs with Jake Browning at the helm look quite slim. To add insult to injury, Ja'Marr Chase got in Zac Taylor's face on the sidelines, and it looks like this team is quickly falling apart.
That leaves them with two options: Either trade for a quarterback or trade Hendrickson. Hendrickson was on the trade block in the offseason, and he threatened to hold out if he didn't get a contract extension before he finally agreed to a restructured one-year contract with a steep pay raise.
Still, given the way the team dealt with his contract extension, it's hard to believe he will be looking forward to re-signing with them in the offseason. Unless they intend to pay him $30.2 million under the franchise tag, they should look to move him and get as many assets as they possibly can for him.
The Cowboys have an additional first-round pick from the Micah Parsons trade, and while that might be a little too steep for a player on an expiring deal, he could be just what this team needs to take Matt Eberfus' defense to a whole new level.