The Dallas Cowboys will be heading in a completely different direction in 2025. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer was brought it to resurrect the offense. The team also brought in Matt Eberflus as their new defensive coordinator in hopes to once again become one of the best units in the league.
However, there will be one player who doesn’t return.
Cowboys Confirm Fan Favorite Will Be Playing Elsewhere In 2025 (Breaking)
The story broke in late-January that a Dallas Cowboys staffer had recommended resigning Eric Kendricks directly to Jerry Jones:
The fact that it didn’t happen then told a story. The fact that is hasn’t happened since tells another story.
The idea of re-upping the fan favorite linebacker – liked by Cowboys Nation despite just one season here due to his “tackling machine” nature – might’ve happened had Mike Zimmer stayed on as the defensive coordinator.
But Zimmer passed on the chance to work under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer; our Mike Fisher reports that there was not necessarily animosity there, but rather, Zimmer was hoping to get the top job himself.
And now?
Kendricks led the team in total tackles with 138 and actually finished tied for first on the team in interceptions with two.
But Matt Eberflus takes over and with the new regime stepping in, the Cowboys have engineered the signings of linebackers Jack Sanborn and Kenneth Murray Jr.
Sanborn in particular is an “Eberflus guy,” having played for him in Chicago.
So they are in. And Kendricks, 33, despite being a former Pro Bowler, is out, with DallasCowboys.com suggesting it’s a “no-return” goodbye there.
It is clear Kendricks can still contribute in a big way at this level.
But the Cowboys have made an assortment of other moves in the linebackers’ room. … making a Kendricks reunion here highly unlikely.
Here is a look at Kendrick’s career stats:
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | ||
| 2015 | MIN | 14 | 11 | 92 | 72 | 20 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | MIN | 15 | 14 | 109 | 70 | 39 | 2.5 | 9 | 1 | 77 | 77.0 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 113 | 67 | 46 | 1.0 | 6 | 1 | 33 | 33.0 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | MIN | 14 | 14 | 108 | 63 | 45 | 1.0 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | MIN | 15 | 15 | 110 | 70 | 40 | 0.5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | MIN | 11 | 11 | 107 | 69 | 38 | 0.0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | MIN | 15 | 15 | 143 | 81 | 62 | 5.0 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2022 | MIN | 17 | 17 | 137 | 87 | 50 | 1.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | LAC | 15 | 14 | 117 | 79 | 38 | 3.5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | DAL | 15 | 15 | 138 | 71 | 67 | 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 147 | 133 | 1,174 | 729 | 445 | 21.5 | 60 | 12 | 148 | 12.3 | 77 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 2 | |
