When Jonathan Hankins was traded to the Cowboys midway through last season, he didn't know what to expect.
He has only played in 19 games as a star player, but it has certainly been quite a journey for the 31-year-old. Since suiting up for the fourth team for the first time, Hankins has proven to be an instant upgrade for Dallas' defense, considering retirement, dabbling in the realm of free agency, rediscovering his love for the game, and becoming an up-and-coming champion. Sorely disappointed to have started on the path to Shipp only to see it end prematurely, and now ready to take it all back and start over.
Hankins said it all in a 20-minute video on his YouTube channel aimed at giving fans a deeper insight into his life on and off the field after playing more than a decade in the league.
According to Hankins, the entire team is currently still reeling from the embarrassing wild-card loss to Green Bay.
“This is what we dream of and for some, this is all they ever wanted in life. In short, we are all in shock. We are all hurting.” “To be honest, I thought we could be in the Super Bowl this year. And we should have,” the former Ohio State star said. “That's definitely the worst.”
But he added: “I'll be back again, that's what I have to say.”
“I still have some unfinished business, some goals I want to accomplish, and I want to win a Super Bowl trophy. So is Hank done? No, Hank is better than I was a few years ago. I'm just more motivated. My goal is to get to the Super Bowl, and I'd be happy if it were here.”
Whether that last piece comes to fruition for the veteran will be one of the many questions facing Dallas' front office this offseason.
Hankins was traded to the Cowboys in late October 2022, a midseason move intended to strengthen the run defense, which was considered the team's most glaring weakness.
“I didn't necessarily know what was going to happen,” he admitted, after being selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2013 draft. “But we knew they needed guys on the inside who could stop the runs and help the defense.”
The Cowboys immediately gave up over 200 rushing yards in each of Hankins' first two games.
“It's been quite an adjustment,” the 320-pounder said after spending the past two-and-a-half years with the Raiders.
Adjustments were made here and there, and his impact over the next five games (including the playoffs) was enough for the Cowboys to re-sign Hankins to a one-year deal to return. That was after Hankins accepted other free agency offers.
“It was late,” he said. “Obviously, I didn't necessarily get what I wanted. But at the end of the day, I still love the game and feel like I'm playing at a high level.”
But even that was in some doubt, with Hankins admitting he was considering hanging up his cleats before the 2023 season.
“To be honest, I'm not really sure if I really want to continue playing. Obviously, my daughter was turning two at the time,” he explained. “She didn't quit soccer, but she just wanted to spend time with her family.”
It was probably an unexpected event that reignited the flames.
Many veteran players fear the rigors of training camp and spend the grueling summer months huddled in far-flung locations just to start hitting hard and doing the heavy lifting again.
But for Hankins, his first 11 training camp with the Cowboys in California was nothing short of a revelation, he says.
“It was amazing,” he explained. “I was able to bring my family to Oxnard. We were staying at a resort, so in between practicing for soccer and trying to build chemistry, I was able to bring my family to Oxnard during training camp. I was able to take some time off from soccer to play with the kids and take my daughter to the beach and go eat. Just the experience, being there, the way Jerry Jones sets everything up, it's the best. was.”
But it was his Cowboys teammates who ultimately tied it all together.
“Being with Ro, being with Micah, the Attorney General, and Osa really lit a new fire in me,” he recalled.
The fire also burned in the fields. The Cowboys' run defense allowed almost 300 fewer rushing yards than the previous season in 2023, as Hankins was in the huddle for nearly a third of the team's defensive snaps. The D-line's worst game (allowing 266 rushing yards to Buffalo) happened to be the first game of the season that Hankins missed with an injury. And he spent a year mentoring young interior linemen like Chauncey Golston and first-round rookie Maji Smith.
However, there is still work to be done, with many questions surrounding Dallas' defense and its personnel, both on the field and on the sideline.
Hankins hopes he'll be there to chip away at that unfinished business.
“Is this the last time we'll see Big Hank?” he asked. “I don't think so. I'll definitely be back. Talk to the Cowboys, talk to Mike [McCarthy] And my staff, obviously I'm still playing at a high level and I still want to continue playing, but I'm a free agent. I think I brought some good value to this team…there's still something left in the tank. ”
