One year ago today, the Dallas Cowboys upgraded their linebackers by signing free agent Eric Kendrick to a one-year deal.
Kendricks is now an unrestricted free agent. Will he be coming back to Dallas in 2025 or have the recent moves made by the Cowboys signaled his time here is at an end?
That’s hard to say.
Kendricks started all 15 games that he played in. He had 138 tackles and three sacks to go along with two interceptions and a fumble recovery in 2024.
DeMarvion Overshown is not likely to be ready to start when the season kicks off. Damone Clark managed to get in two starts in the 14 games he played last year.
He finished with 28 tackles and half a sack.
The backups from last year, Nick Vigil, Darius Harris, and Buddy Johnson, played sparingly. Although Vigil did get in one start.
By the time the season had mercifully drawn to an end, the linebacker room was mighty thin.
That’s something that must change going into 2025.
Roster Review 2025: Back-up Linebackers. This is Part 28 of a series. Click here for a list of all related articles.
Outlook For 2025
It almost seems certain that the Cowboys will retain Kendricks services, at least for the 2025 season. Clark will be back in the final year of his contract, earning a little over $3 million.
Since Kendrick was signed to a one-year deal at around $3 million, he should get that a maybe a little more on his next contract.
Overshown probably won’t be back until the second half of the season, unless he pulls off a miraculous recovery from a severe knee injury.
Which would leave Dallas with a starting set of Kendricks, assuming he is retained, Clark, and Marist Liufau. And absolutely next-to-nothing on the bench.
Which explains why the Cowboys made two moves on Wednesday regarding their linebacker corps.
They traded with the Tennessee Titans for Kenneth Murray Jr. and signed former Chicago Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn.
Sanborn is familiar with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ defense and he can play middle linebacker. Something of an insurance policy if Kendricks heads out the door.
Sanborn will be playing in his fourth season this fall. He has started in 19 of the 48 games he’s suited up for.
He has a career 164 tackles and 4.5 sacks with a fumble recovery and an interception.
Murray will play his sixth season in 2025 after a four-year stint with the Chargers and one year with the Titans.
Murray has 416 tackles and 8.5 sacks along with three interceptions. He has 67 starts in 73 games.
Frankly, of all the moves Dallas has made in free agency so far, the Sanborn signing is the only one I feel great about.
Murray may very well work out too, but I’m slightly less optimistic there and hoping to be proven wrong.
But at the very least, Dallas has filled a position of dire need.
We’ll have to wait and see if they made the right choices or not when the games begin this fall.
Long-Term Outlook
Dallas is notorious for letting linebackers come and go over the years, while keeping very few around.
That puts them as buyers in the linebacker market nearly every season. It would be nice if they could get a solid core of three starters and keep them together for a few years.
They could be on that path now with the moves they’ve made this week.
A lot of the team’s defensive success at linebacker is going to be determined by Overshown’s recovery and Liufau’s development.
If both of these young players, and these latest acquisitions, pan out, the Cowboys could be set at linebacker for more than just the upcoming season.