FRISCO, Texas – On March 11th, veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks had agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers. Four days later, he was signing a contract to play for the Dallas Cowboys and his former defensive coordinator in Minnesota, Mike Zimmer.
Fast forward to now, and Kendricks is looking to face off against the team that he almost joined during the offseason. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday after missing a full week of practice and the game against the Detroit Lions.
"I am working hard to get back, I take very good care of my body, I take it very seriously, I'm a professional in all sense of it," Kendricks said. "I'll be being a professional this week, and let the chips fall where they may."
Kendricks is Dallas' leading tackler with 52 to his name through five games to go along with two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. He's been the piece that makes the defense go, and his presence was greatly missed against the Lions. The past is in the past however, and Kendricks has his eyes set on the rest of the season.
"It always sucks missing a game, but I'm just looking forward." Kendricks said.
When Kendricks hit the market looking for a new team, part of the deal he was looking for was the opportunity to play MIKE linebacker. The bonus in coming to the Cowboys was reuniting with Zimmer.
"It was a big influence," Kendricks said on how much Zimmer impacted his decision. "I obviously wanted to be the MIKE as well, but both factors into it… Fred [Warner]'s the Mike there… I wanted to be MIKE."
In his seven seasons with Zimmer in Minnesota, Kendricks tallied 100 or more tackles in all but one of his seasons with the Vikings as a clear cut leader of the defense. Back with Zimmer now in Dallas, Kendricks has been a resource for his teammates throughout their struggles as a unit this season.
"You got to lean on each other, there's been times where we all have faced adversity," Kendricks said. "We got to dig deep through those times and we're a good ball club, so we got to prove it."
With five games under his belt with a star on his helmet, Kendricks hasn't regretted his choice one bit.
"I decided to come here and play with these boys, and I haven't looked back since." Kendricks said.
Mike McCarthy has been very familiar with Kendricks' game for quite some time after a number of battles while both were in the NFC North as members of the Packers and Vikings respectively. Now, McCarthy doesn't have to worry about how to stop him, and instead about how he commands the Dallas defense.
"I was definitely excited to get him here and it was big for Mike Zimmer too, because that was his quarterback," McCarthy said. "He's our green dot and he's made an impact since he's been here."
On Sunday night, Kendricks will look to have the better performance defensively than his almost-teammate, Fred Warner. The three-time first-team all-pro linebacker has been a nightmare for the Cowboys in the four games he's suited up against them, tallying 27 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a sack.
