Against the New York Giants last week, the Dallas Cowboys improved to 2-2, but it came at a price. The two finest edge rushers on the club, DeMarcus Lawrence and All-Pro Micah Parsons, were both injured. After the bye week, the former will probably return, but the latter might not play again until at least the middle of November. The Cowboys signed K.J. Henry on Tuesday in an attempt to offset these losses. Henry will provide depth behind youngster Marshawn Kneeland and Chauncey Golston, who will play a bigger role, and veteran Carl Lawson, who was called up last week.
In 2023, Henry was selected by the Washington Commanders in the fifth round. After his release in August, he joined the practice.As of September 24, Ngakoue is a member of the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, just like Henry was in Cincinnati. The approach that team owner Jerry Jones stated the Cowboys would take to provide edge support—instead of making a trade or doing something similar—is to use the practice squad. Former third-round selection Ngakoue was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. Ngakoue was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2017 following eight sacks in his first season. He finished with 12 sacks and led the league in forced fumbles with six. With 115 starts, he has participated in 123 games. Ngakoue has also been a very effective player, recording 142 quarterback passes, 69 sacks, and
Over the past five years, Ngakoue has been on and off the Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Ravens. He is now in his second season with the Ravens. But right now, he could be able to make a bigger difference than Henry merely by virtue of his experience and the fact that, even at 29, he is a better choice.
No matter what, the loss of Lawrence as possibly the top run defense in the league and Parsons as an edge rusher will be felt. The addition of Ngakoue would provide the Cowboys with some valuable veteran insurance and a dependable player to keep in the rotation for the balance of the season.
