Should the Cowboys Be Upset with Their Return in the Micah Parsons Trade?
After the long offseason drama between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys, they have finally come to a solution. The Dallas Cowboys will be trading the All-Pro Player to the Green Bay Packers for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. In arguably the biggest blockbuster trade right before the start of an NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys will be heading into Philadelphia to play the reigning Super Bowl champions without their best player. Now, while trading a generational player like Parsons to a team that has consistently defeated Dallas in the playoffs, such as Green Bay, may seem like a poor decision, should the Cowboys really be dissatisfied with the return they received?
The Return
Obviously, trading away a player like Parsons will sting for anyone related to Dallas and the Cowboys, but there is always room for optimism. While it is hard to fully get the proper compensation for a player like Parsons, Dallas got in return one of the better-run stoppers and defensive tackles in the league in Clark, who, despite having a down season last year due to injury, is coming in and fixing Dallas's main issue on defense. Those two first-round picks also give Dallas a chance at a couple of different options heading into these next two NFL Drafts in 2026 and 2027. Dallas enters these two drafts with a total of four first-round picks. Given their history of making strong selections in the first round, they have a solid opportunity to achieve significant success with these picks. Not to mention that in 2027, a new era of elite college players will be declaring for the NFL, and it is predicted to be one of the better draft classes in recent memory. The other approach Dallas could take is to flip these picks for high-level players in positions of need, which owner Jerry Jones mentioned in his recent presser discussing the decision to trade Parsons.
New Defense and New Optimism
As surprising as it may seem, the addition of Clark could actually make Dallas better equipped defensively as a whole. One of the primary reasons the team decided to trade Parsons is their confidence in the current pass-rushing group. Dallas won’t be getting to the passer as efficiently as before, but with young players around with potential and veterans with a solid history of getting to the quarterback, this pass-rushing group can still cause trouble for NFL teams. The decision to trade for Clark in particular was based on the belief that they could finally stop the issue that’s been haunting Dallas for years, which is the inability to stop the run come postseason. Trading away a player like Parsons to a bitter rival like Green Bay is painful, but the benefit of not having to pay his contract, along with the opportunity to build a solid foundation in the trenches, could offer them hope for the future. If Dallas can secure a spot in the postseason with the high-powered offense they are anticipated to have, along with a defense capable of stopping the run in an NFL that is increasingly focused on running the football, they may have found their solution for immediate success when it matters most.
