The Dallas Cowboys chose to remain idle during the first week of free agency, which made them one of the teams that lost out on potential additions.
It was surprising that Dallas allowed players to sign with other teams, especially considering how badly they performed in the NFL playoffs.
The Cowboys did, however, finally make a signing when they added veteran Eric Kendricks to their roster.
Prior to joining the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023, Kendricks played eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he was selected to the First Team All-Pro in 2019.
According to reports, Kendricks was going to sign with the 49ers in San Francisco, but he ended up signing with the Cowboys.
Through Jon Machota of The Athletic and NBC Sports Bay Area, the veteran eventually disclosed his reasoning for choosing to travel to Dallas rather than San Francisco.
“I think I would’ve taken more of a reserved role [in San Francisco], whereas I feel I have a lot left to give, and I wanted to be here and be middle linebacker,” Kendricks told Machota. “I wanted to share my experience with the team, share my leadership abilities, and command that huddle.”
In essence, Kendricks acknowledges that he should have gotten a bigger role after Leighton Vander Esch and other important players in Dallas retired.
Additionally, Kendricks will get the chance to rejoin defensive coordinator and former Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer.
All things considered, this seems like Kendricks’ best opportunity yet to earn snaps and have a noticeable effect on the defense.