Why Eric Kendricks Could Be The Cowboys Best Off-Season Acquisition

Eric Kendricks signed a one-year deal worth up to 3.5 million this off-season. At age 32 his performance on the field is still valuable but his true value will come off the field serving as a mentor.

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Eric Kendricks has been in the NFL for 9 seasons racking up over 1000 tackles, 18.5 sacks, and 61 tackles for loss. Kendricks has been one of the best inside linebackers in his 9-year career and 7 of those seasons were spent under the helm of current Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Kendricks was the leader of Zimmer's defense in Minnesota, and he will now be the leader of Zimmer's defense in Dallas. The Cowboys defense is filled with talent at every position and while Kendricks certainly adds to this talent his greatest impact will come off the field. Kendricks knows how Zimmer wants to play defense and he will serve as a mentor both on and off the field for the Cowboys young linebackers.

The Cowboys are loaded with young talent at linebacker with players Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown, and Marist Liufau. Their talent at linebacker is undeniable and Kendricks will teach these linebackers how to flourish in Zimmer's system. The Kendricks signing may have only been for one year, but the impact of this signing will be seen throughout the career of these young linebackers.