Giants Country

NFC East Watch: Cowboys Make a Surprising Trade

The Cowboys unloaded one of their tight ends before the roster cut deadline.

Andrew Parsaud

Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Peyton Hendershot (89) catches a pass as Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) defends during the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Peyton Hendershot (89) catches a pass as Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) defends during the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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The Dallas Cowboys have been fairly active in trade talks over the last few weeks, including one before their 53-man roster deadline needed to be finalized on Tuesday.

They traded tight end Peyton Hendershot to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a 2026 conditional seventh round pick. Hendershot appeared in 25 career games since being signed as an undrafted free agent three seasons ago. He's caught 15 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns during that span, serving as one of the Cowboys' backup tight ends.

For someone they were likely going to cut anyway, it made sense for the Cowboys to at least get some kind of compensation in return. In this case, the Chiefs add another body to their tight end room. 

Already employing future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, the Chiefs' core of tight ends is loaded with the addition of Hendershot. Kelce, Noah Gray and rookie fourth round pick Jared Wiley from TCU look to be the four they're rolling with heading into the season.

As for the Cowboys, their primary target at the tight end position is Jake Ferguson. Ferguson had a breakout season in 2023, catching 71 passes for 761 yards and five touchdowns. Behind him is last year's second round pick Luke Schoonmaker and John Stephens Jr.

Getting back to Hendershot, he never created problems for the Giants, certainly not like Jason Witten used to do twice a year. The only damage he had was a three-catch, 43-yard performance in Week 3 of the 2022 season. The Giants, however, seemingly haven't been able to guard their tight ends in recent memory. So, one less body to worry about is good news, even though Hendershot never really made an impact against them anyway.

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Andrew Parsaud
ANDREW PARSAUD

Andrew Parsaud is currently attending Penn State, where he is studying digital journalism and media. He is an avid follower of the major New York sports teams. 

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