 On November 7, 1989, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to replace a struggling Ruzek.On November 22, Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson alleged that Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan had taken out a "bounty" on two Cowboys players—then-current Dallas (and former Philadelphia) placekicker Zendejas and quarterback Troy Aikman in a game dubbed "Bounty Bowl" played on Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium.Zendejas was targeted by linebacker Jessie Small on the second-half kickoff, where Zendejas was curiosly penalized on the play for a low block.