Peyton Hendershot

Peyton Hendershot

Hendershot (86) with Indiana in 2021
No. 89 – Dallas Cowboys
Position:	Tight end
Personal information
Born:	(1999-04-23) April 23, 1999 (age 25) Lizton, Indiana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	254 lb (115 kg)
Career information
High school:	Tri-West (Lizton, Indiana)
College:	Indiana (2018–2021)
Undrafted:	2022
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (2022–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Third-team All-Big Ten (2021)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Rushing yards: 2 Rushing average: 2.0 Rushing touchdowns: 1 Receptions: 15 Receiving yards: 141 Receiving touchdowns: 2
Player stats at PFR

Peyton Hendershot (born April 23, 1999) is an American football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Indiana.

Early life

Hendershot attended Tri-West Hendricks High School. As a sophomore, he contributed to the team winning the 2014 3A state championship.

As a junior, he was a two-way player at tight end and defensive end, posting 51 receptions for 685 yards, 8 touchdowns, 30 tackles (5 for loss), 4 sacks and 3 pass breakups.

As a senior, he tallied 67 receptions for 896 yards and 9 touchdowns. He finished his high school career with 157 catches for 2,170 yards and 22 touchdowns. He received All-county, All-conference, 6A All-state, Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 and Indianapolis Star position award winner (tight end) honors.

He also practiced basketball, where he averaged 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks as a junior.

College career

Hendershot accepted a football scholarship from Indiana University Bloomington. ^{[1] [2] [3]} As a true freshman in 2017, he appeared in the first four games as a backup tight end, before suffering a season-ending injury and being medical redshirted.

As a redshirt freshman in 2018, he started in 10 out of 11 games, while rotating with tight end Austin Dorris. He posted 15 receptions for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had 2 receptions for 47 yards against Rutgers University.

As a sophomore in 2019, he started all 13 games, setting the school's single-season tight end record with 52 catches for 622 yards. He recorded seven contests with 50-or-more yards and six games with five-or-more catches. He had 4 receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown against Ohio State University. He made 6 receptions for 95 yards against the University of Maryland. He had 7 receptions for 51 yards against Penn State University.

As a junior in 2020, he started all 8 games in a season that was reduced by the Covid-19 Pandemic. His production dropped after battling injuries, posting 23 receptions (third on the team), 151 yards (third on the team) and 4 receiving touchdowns (second on the team). He had 6 receptions for 34 yards and his first career two-touchdown contest against Rutgers University. He made 4 receptions for 31 yards and one touchdown in 38-21 win against the No. 23 ranked University of Michigan.

As a senior in 2021, he started all 12 games, catching passes from starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. He registered 46 receptions (tied for team lead), 543 receiving yards (led the team), 4 touchdowns (third in school history for tight ends), one two-point conversion, two carries for 8 yards and 3 special teams tackles. He had 7 receptions for 100 yards against Western Kentucky University. He collected 5 receptions for 80 yards against Penn State University. He made 6 receptions for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns against the University of Maryland, becoming the first tight end in school history to have two receiving 100-yard games. He earned Third-team All-Big Ten honors. ^{[4] [5]}

He appeared in 32 games, finishing as the school's career leader for tight ends with 136 receptions for 1,479 yards, while ranking second with 14 receiving touchdowns. ^{[6] [7]}

College statistics

Season	Team	GP	Receiving
			Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
2018	Indiana	10	15	163	10.9	2
2019	Indiana	13	52	622	12.0	4
2020	Indiana	18	23	151	6.6	4
2021	Indiana	11	46	543	11.8	4
Total		32	136	1,479	10.9	14

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 4+1⁄8 in (1.93 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m)	9 in (0.23 m)	4.78 s	1.62 s	2.72 s	4.25 s	6.91 s	35.5 in (0.90 m)	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)	23 reps
Sources: [8] [9]

Hendershot was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2022 NFL Draft on April 30. ^[10] He made the initial 53-man roster out of training camp as the team's third-string tight end, behind Dalton Schultz and fellow rookie Jake Ferguson. ^[11] In Week 7 of the 2022 season, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a two-yard reception in the 24–6 victory over the Detroit Lions. ^[12] As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games and started two, while recording 11 receptions for 103 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 special teams tackles. ^[13]

In 2023, although previous starter Schultz left in free agency, the drafting in the second-round of Luke Schoonmaker, put Hendershot in a difficult situation to improve his position on the depth chart. He was the team's third-string tight end behind starter Ferguson and Schoonmaker. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 and was placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2023. ^[14] He was activated on December 6. He appeared in 8 games with one start, registering 4 receptions for 38 yards. Although he fought to return to play, his ankle injury was serious enough to require offseason surgery.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Rushing					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2022	DAL	17	2	11	103	9.4	29	2	1	2	2.0	2	1	0	0
Career		17	2	11	103	9.4	29	2	1	2	2.0	2	1	0	0

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Rushing					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2023	DAL	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Career		0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0

References

1. Osterman, Zach (July 12, 2016). "Tri-West TE Peyton Hendershot commits to IU". IndyStar.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
2. "Peyton Henderson photo gallery". IndyStar.com. February 23, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
3. Osterman, Zach (September 12, 2019). "IU coaches expected Peyton Hendershot to break out this year — and he's delivering so far". IndyStar.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
4. "Peyton Hendershot 2021 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
5. "Hendershot Earns Third-Team All-Big Ten Honors". Indiana University Athletics. December 1, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
6. "Peyton Hendershot College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
7. "Indiana Hoosiers Coaches". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
8. "Peyton Hendershot Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
9. "2022 Draft Scout Peyton Hendershot, Indiana NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
10. Browning, Tyler (May 19, 2022). "Cowboys waited to gamble on Indiana TE Peyton Hendershot, will it pay off?". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
11. Schumann, Mike (August 30, 2022). "Peyton Hendershot goes from undrafted to the Cowboys' 53-man roster". The Daily Hoosier. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
12. "Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys - October 23rd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
13. "Peyton Hendershot 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
14. Eatman, Nick (October 12, 2023). "Roster moves: LB Evans added; Hendershot on IR". DallasCowboys.com.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com  ·  Pro Football Reference
• Dallas Cowboys bio
• Indiana Hoosiers bio