New Cowboys pass-rusher confident he can make an impact

The Dallas Cowboys added K.J. Henry from the Bengals practice squad to help fill the void left by DeMarcus Lawrence, and he already feels comfortable thanks to ties to the coaching staff.

Washington Commanders defensive end KJ Henry (55) and Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith (77) in action during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

During the preseason, the Dallas Cowboys took a hit to their defensive line when they lost Sam Williams for the year. Now, he's joined on the IR by DeMarcus Lawrence, who suffered a foot injury during their Week 4 win over the New York Giants.

With Lawrence out, the Cowboys are expected to turn to veteran Carl Lawson, who has been on the practice squad.

They also added outside help as they signed K.J. Henry, a former five-star pass-rusher from the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad.

More: Cowboys rookie Ryan Flournoy draws inspiration from Jerry Rice

Henry was a fifth-round pick for the Washington Commanders in 2023 out of Clemson. He spent that rookie campaign working with Jeff Zgonina, who is now the defensive line coach in Dallas.

Henry believes his experience with Zgonina can be a help for Dallas since he knows exactly what the coach expects from his players.

Henry was signed off Cincinnati’s practice squad on Tuesday to fill DeMarcus Lawrence’s practice squad. He played for DL coach Jeff Zgonina in Washington. https://t.co/zFrdD2cySd pic.twitter.com/hgpUhMYHAo

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 2, 2024

With Washington, Henry had 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He wasn't able to make the final cuts this season and wound up in Cincinnati.

Henry had a solid career with Clemson but never lived up to expectations. He had 123 tackles with 13.5 sacks. He did prove to have a knack for knocking the pass down at the line of scrimmage with 11 batted balls in his career — six of which came in his senior campaign.

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