The Cowboys are looking to avoid a rerun of the defensive mishaps of the 2025 season.

The rehaul started with the hiring of defensive coordinator Christian Parker. With Parker looking to shore up the Cowboys' defense, the Cowboys have now signed a new safety from the Arizona Cardinals.

Safety Jalen Thompson has been signed to a three-year contract with the Cowboys, valued at $36 million, reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

This move comes after the Cowboys signed a new edge rusher in Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers.

The Cowboys have hired former Arizona Cardinals cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith to be the new Cowboys secondary coach. It looks like Ryan Smith is now building a team he is comfortable working with. Jalen Thompson has previously worked under Smith during his time at the Cardinals, meaning a reunion is on the cards.

Thompson has spent seven years with the Cardinals and played 99 games, starting 87 of them. He has amassed 397 solo tackles, a couple of sacks, and forced fumbles.

According to Pro Football Focus, Thompson recorded impressive stats with a coverage grade of 69.2 and a defense run grade of 63.2 in 2025.

While the Cowboys missed out on signing Maxx Crosby and the Trey Hendrickson deal now looks doubtful, it seems Parker and his team are looking to build the defense brick by brick.  Jalen Thompson could very well be primed to be a good safety who can help the Cowboys rack up some wins.

Trey Hendrickson waiting out for a bumper contract?

With Maxx Crosby finally off the table, next in line in the edge rusher cornucopia is Trey Hendrickson.

While it is surprising that Hendrickson is not signed yet, it does remain that he is expecting a big payout before he signs his name.

According to Adam Schefter, Hendrickson is expecting deals similar to Danielle Hunter or Jaelan Phillips.

However, it remains to be seen if any team is willing to match Hendrickson’s asking price.

"But if there's not a team out there that's willing to give you $40 or $30 million, sometimes it takes a player a little bit of time to understand how the market works,” Schefter wrote about Hendrickson’s situation.

Schefter added that he has had talks with a bunch of teams, but nobody has met his price just yet. He seems to think that Hendrickson might settle for a cheaper contract if the market doesn’t pan out the way he thinks.

Dallas fans, do you want Hendrickson playing for the franchise? Let us know in the comments!

You can read more at the Dallas Cowboys Community!

Written by

Shyam Hari

Edited by

Kalp Thaker