Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chris Carlson/AP/Shutterstock (13718817eg) Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins (95) sacks Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) during the second half of an NFL wild-card football game, in Tampa, Fla Cowboys Buccaneers Football, Tampa, United States – 16 Jan 2023
Cowboys re-sign DT Johnathan Hankins to one-year deal
The Dallas Cowboys brought back another key defensive player on Wednesday by re-signing defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to a one-year deal reportedly worth $1.5 million. Hankins was crucial in Dallas’ efforts to improve its run defense.
Hankins became an instant starter and impact player after the Cowboys acquired him from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. Dallas also received a 2024 seventh-round pick in the trade. Hankins recorded 10 total tackles in five games for the Cowboys last season.
Hankins, 30 (turns 31 on Thursday), was drafted with the 49th pick in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Giants out of Ohio State. After his rookie season, Hankins would start every game he played in for the Giants recording 10 sacks and 140 combined tackles. In 2017, Hankins signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts, where he would play just one season of that contract.
The next season, he signed with the Raiders and spent the next four and a half seasons with the team until being traded to Dallas in the middle of last year.
Bringing back Hankins was a move many Cowboys fans wanted, given his production as a run-stopper last season. He now rejoins the defensive line alongside Osa Odighizuwa, Quinton Bohanna, and Neville Gallimore.
