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As expected, the Cowboys have moved DeMarcus Lawrence to injured reserve as he rehabs the foot sprain he suffered Thursday in a win over the New York Giants.
The team has wasted no time bringing in reinforcements for its defensive line, which is also preparing to head to Pittsburgh for a Week 5 game without edge rusher Micah Parsons in the lineup.
The Cowboys are signing defensive end KJ Henry to a two-year deal, as reported Tuesday by ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler.
Henry is a known commodity to Dallas defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina; the two worked together in Washington in Henry’s rookie year of 2023 after he was a fifth-round draft pick out of Clemson that spring.
The #Cowboys are signing pass rusher K.J. Henry to a two-year deal (active roster) off the #Bengals practice squad, per sources.
Henry had 1.5 sacks last year for Washington.
Help on the way for depleted Cowboys pass rush.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 1, 2024
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In his one year with the Commanders, the 6-foot-4-inch, 255-pound Henry saw action in 10 games, starting three of them. He compiled 1.5 sacks and was in on 19 tackles, four of them for loss.
He did not survive Dan Quinn’s cuts in August, however, and found himself on the waiver wire, where he was claimed by Cincinnati prior to the start of the season. The North Carolina native played a handful of snaps in the Bengals’ first two games before being waived and then re-signed to their practice squad.
Henry will go directly to the Cowboys’ active roster and must stay there for at least three weeks, per NFL rules regarding a player poached from another practice squad. In Dallas, he’ll join a patchworked pass rush group that includes rookie Marshawn Kneeland, Chauncey Golston, and Carl Lawson.
Parsons is expected to miss at least one game, maybe more. Lawrence will likely be out for four to eight weeks. The Cowboys also lost defensive end Sam Williams for the season back in July.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones hinted this week that the team would probably not be actively seeking out trade partners for any high-profile midseason additions; the signing of 25-year-old Henry off a practice squad represents a more cost-efficient fix for a depleted roster.
Now it’s up to Henry to actually make that bet pay off.